Damage Control
by Honorcpt
Summary: Written with SSA-RTUNE: Jane is not herself, her past, her future, her anger, everything is playing a hand in her life right now, is damage control even possible when even Maura can't help? First collaboration for us so be kind… Ch 31 is finally up
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a first for two writers; for me, I've never written a collaborative piece before so I admit quite a bit of nervousness to doing so. For the other writer of this story-SSA-RTUNE it's her first foray into the world of Rizzoli and Isles. (Criminal Minds has been her thing)**

**Disclaimer - Usual shit here. Don't own, can't afford to be sued, just for fun, blah, blah, you name it! TNT, Tess G and others have that honor!**

**Without further ado...**

**Chapter one**

Jane practically ran through the corridors, her jacket billowing out slightly, the gun and detectives shield showing, people scattering out of her way as if Moses were parting the red sea in front of her. Her face was serious, eyebrows knitted together and people around the precinct knew that look. _Do not mess with Jane Rizzoli. _

Without warning, she burst in to one of the interrogation rooms, those sitting in there looking at her in surprise.

"What did you do, you bastard."

No one could stop her as she grabbed the suspect, hauling them to their feet and slamming them against the wall hard enough for them to be winded slightly. She wasn't even aware of the shouting from the others around her she was so focused on the person she had her hands on.

"Detective Rizzoli!"

Korsak's voice finally seemed to penetrate the fog surrounding her, and Jane was firmly pushed off and away from the suspect. Korsak loomed in to her field of vision.

"I swear I will make you pay for this." Jane virtually shouted at the man, who was trying to rearrange his shirt collar.

Without another word, Jane left the interrogation room as swiftly as she had entered it and strode back to her desk leaving a trail of confused looks in her wake.

After a time, Korsak came in to the room slowly, checking to see if there were other detectives around. He then sat down on the chair alongside Jane's desk.

"Mind explaining to me what all that was about?" He asked once it became apparent Jane wasn't going to say anything to him.

"None of your business." Jane growled in reply, her eyes steadfastly looking at the file she had opened in front of her, although none of the words were sinking in.

"Didn't look like nothing."

"Just..." Jane looked up, and shook her head. "I've had enough for today, you know how I feel about all this. Leave it Vince." She then stood up, grabbing the jacket she had worn earlier, but then thrown across the back of her chair once she had come back. She shrugged it back on as she walked, ignoring the looks others were giving her as she left the precinct.

Korsak found her in The Dirty Robber, nursing a beer. He sat alongside her at the bar, without looking in her direction. Jane could tell some other uni's and detectives who were off duty, or taking some time out, were looking in their direction.

"News travels fast." Jane swept the bottle of beer around in front of her to show she was aware of the staring going on, no matter how subtle some people thought they were being about it.

"You've got that much right." Vince took a slug of his own beer.

"So, what happens next?"

"You go home."

"What? No." Jane turned around with a frown and glared at her friend and mentor.

"You go home Jane." Korsak also moved and faced Jane's look head on. "You need to take some time away. Get your shit together before you can't do this right."

Shaking her head, Jane tipped the bottle back and finished her drink and stood up. "Fine. Call me when I can come back." Her sarcasm was plain to everyone who might have heard. Throwing some money down on the bar without even looking at the amount, she walked outside, before heading anywhere other than home.

Jane stood in the shadows, just waiting. If being a cop had taught her one thing, it was there was a time for patience, and there was a time for action. Despite her natural instinct was to always be action, she knew this was one of the occasions where patience was what she needed. She pushed some hair back off her cheek, before glancing at her watch. Seeing the time, she tensed, knowing she was close to achieving her aim for today, and she shifted position slightly, giving her a better advantage.

He didn't even see her as she launched out of the alleyway, pushing him down behind a dumpster.

"What the..." He couldn't even get chance to say any more as a fist came in and connected to his face stunning him.

"You son of a bitch. I told you I would make you pay." The voice was low and raspier than usual.

The emotions in Jane were bouncing around her like she couldn't believe. She had sworn to protect and serve, not to be smacking the shit out of someone in a alleyway like a common criminal. She never would have said she would have been brought to this point in her life, her career, and yet here she was and now that she had begun this course of action, there was no way she could back down. Too much was at stake. She hated she was here, doing this, but it had to be done. She had spent many sleepless nights and long hours in the day trying to work out how else to deal with the problem, and as much as she hated to admit it, she had come to the same conclusion every single time. There was no other alternative and if justice was going to be served, some things had to be sacrificed including her own morals on the subject.

Just as she went to swing another punch, someone tackled in to her from behind, bringing her down to the ground._ What the f..._

"Jane Rizzoli, you are under arrest for assault."

Crowe looked at her with a smug expression, as he brought his handcuffs around and slammed them on her wrists. "Saw it all Rizzoli. You always were a loose cannon and I'm not gonna let you get out of this one."

Jane was hauled to her feet, and she simply snarled at Crowe, wanting nothing more than to be free of the handcuffs, that she knew he had tightened deliberately more than would be acceptable for a normal perp. She wanted to wipe the self-satisfied expression off his face so badly it almost hurt. Of all the cops in the area to find her, she couldn't believe her bad luck it was him! _Shit this was not working out like it was supposed to, Crowe wasn't supposed to be here._

She glanced to her right, and saw the suspect from earlier in the day finally getting to his feet, his cheek showing a bruise where she had caught him.

Crowe meanwhile had stripped Jane of her firearm and shield handing them to a uniform who had appeared only seconds earlier. He then looked across at the man to his left.

"You alright? Need that looking at?"

"I'm fine. What I need is for that psycho bitch to pay for this." He worked his jaw as he spoke, anger flashing across his face for a split second. For some inexplicable reason, Jane couldn't look him in the face as he spoke, so she just stared over the shoulder of Crowe, focusing on a car parked up ahead of them.

"Oh don't worry about that. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time." Crowe pulled at Jane, deliberately twisting her shoulder's as he did so, making her bite back a remark, knowing he was looking for a reaction from her. Crowe seemed disappointed he hadn't got a response like he'd hoped, so effectively pushed her towards the uniform.

"Book her for assault."

The uniform looked nervous as he walked Jane the short distance in to police headquarters. They had been so close, they hadn't even bothered with a car. Jane kept her head up, defiant as she was marched through the front door, and finally led down to the holding cell. She did no more than was necessary as she was being booked in, giving the details they needed to detain her, before she was shoved in to the main holding cell.

The one piece of luck that was running for her that day was apart from a drunk sleeping it off in a corner lying across the hard bench there, there was no one else in the cell with them. Jane stretched out, before rubbing her wrists, noticing with disdain that they were red and sore where Crowe had without a doubt deliberately put the cuff's on too tight. She then sank down on the the bench as far away as possible from the other occupant, bringing her head back to rest on the wall, closing her eyes.

"Jane what the hell?" Jane's head snapped up and she saw Korsak standing looking in at her.

"Got nothing to say to you Vince." Jane put her head back to the wall, closing her eyes again.

"Seems you've got a whole load of nothing to say to me today." Korsak lent in closer, "Crowes up there, preening about how he's brought you in on an assault charge. Wanna tell me about it?"

The drunk was now beginning to stir, and Jane shot a sideways glance, and sighed when she saw him trying to stand up. Perhaps her small amount of luck was about to end. _Great, just what I need, a stinking drunk waking up on me! I swear to god if he even tries to hit on me I will punch his lights out._

"I hit Williams." Jane found herself saying, not looking at Korsak as she did.

"You did what?"

"Oh c'mon Korsak, you heard me. I. Hit. Williams." Jane snapped back, her temper edging up closer to the surface again.

"You hit our chief suspect." Korsak shook his head, disappointment showing. "What in the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, alright! Is that what you wanna hear? Or how about sometimes justice is fucked up."

"No, justice isn't fucked up, you just fucked up though, big time! You're on your own on this one." Without a glance, Korsak left the room, with Jane watching him, her mouth hanging slightly open at his leaving her.

"Fine, just piss off and leave me." She growled under her breath, "What the hell you looking at!" She then snarled at the drunk, who immediately backed away in to his corner, hands up, looking scared.

A short time later, a uniform came up to the cage. "Hands out Rizzoli, you know the drill."

"Yeah, from that side perhaps." She whispered, as she brought her hands up and rested them in the gap that allowed them to place handcuffs back on her. "Where we going anyway?"

"IAD wanna see you."

"Wow, oh great!" Jane's sarcasm was obvious. "Just to make my day complete."

"Jane Rizzoli, on the count of aggravated assault how do you plead?"

Jane swallowed hard, trying not to look at her Mother and Frankie, who were sitting just a short distance away from her.

"Guilty your honor."

She had to stop the shaking that was threatening to break out, instead bringing her hands down on the table in front of where she was standing, fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white, desperate to get her breathing under control. This was a lot harder than she imagined it would be. She hated being in court as a Detective, this side of the bars was a thousand times worse. She brought her mind back to the voice, to find out her fate.

"... two years incarceration all suspended for a period of two years, you will serve 100 hours of community service and complete a court ordered Anger Management Program. Do you understand Ms. Rizzoli?"

"Yes Your Honor" her voice full of a shame she had never felt before.

"We are adjourned."

Jane's head hung as the gavel hit its block base, and was led out of the box, where she then stood in front of her Mother and Frankie.

"Oh Ma, don't cry." Jane's heart was breaking at the sight in front of her, and she wished with every fibre of her being she could change the situation they were facing.

"Janie, why? I don't understand why? What with you and Tommy, was I such a bad parent?"

"Ma, I can't..." Jane couldn't bear the look of disappointment that was etched on her Mothers face. "I just can't explain it to you. I'm sorry alright. I never meant for this to happen."

"But your career. You flushed it all away, for what? What you going to do now? Whose gonna employ you? Are you gonna lose your apartment? I don't understand! Help me understand." Angela pleaded, wiping the tears that didn't seem to want to stop.

"Ma, we've been through this; it just happened and I can't change it, so don't ask, not again, not here. I've gotta go, sign some paperwork so I can get outta here." Jane knew she didn't have to do it that second, but she needed the excuse to get away from the feelings of failure that was leeching out of the people who not so long ago were so proud of her. She couldn't even look at Frankie, who had hero-worshipped her for so long. His face showed his disbelief of her failure that it cut right to her core. They were the only two who had come to court to see this. Perhaps in some way it was for the best, that others didn't see this humiliation. Or did it show just how few friends she really had? Whatever the reason, this was the lowest Jane could ever remember feeling in her life.

This hurt more; hurt far more than losing her badge.

That shield had defined who she was, what she had stood up for, and without it, she wasn't even sure she knew who she was any more.

_Please forgive me, because right now I can't forgive myself for the choice I've made _was her thought as she walked away, facing her new life, with so much now uncertain.

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	2. Chapter 2  WTF

**A/N: This story is a co-written with SSA-RTUNE, our first collaboration-my first ever and her first R and I. As always, we do not own these characters, we just take them out to play...**

***Thank you all for reading, reviewing and alerting, were a lot of WTF type of reviews which were great, means we did well. Hope you all continue to enjoy and follow….**

* * *

><p>Lost in thought Jane could not believe the u-turn her life had made. Visions of planes crashing and burning abounded in her minds eye as she walked out of the courthouse. Hands shoved in her pockets she had never felt so alone. Sparing the courthouse a glance, she knew her mother would be pissed at her for leaving this way but she couldn't face her right now. She was too ashamed. Hurrying quickly down the stairs, she headed to her car. Gone was the Crown Victoria, her assigned police vehicle, in its place was her old Chevy Cavalier. She barely drove the car, it was garaged most of the time, but now...<em>well beggars can't be choosers<em> she thought.

Sitting behind the wheel she took a deep breath as she realized this was it, it was really happening. Punching the roof of the car she cursed and raged at the world..._it shouldn't be this hard, but it was...God it was..._

Korsak watched from the steps of the courthouse deliberately out of view from those leaving. He couldn't go in, just couldn't bear the sight of seeing a good cop go down in flames. Especially Jane. His heart almost stopped when he saw her coming out, down the courthouse steps and heading to her car. It didn't take a genius to read the hurt that was all over her face, and he knew, there was nothing he could do to change that.

Two weeks...it had been two weeks and she was about fed up trying to find a job. Thanks to her actions she couldn't even get a security job at Filene's Basement. Taking a sip of her coffee that by now had grown cold, Jane made a decision.

Dialing a number she thought she never would for anything other than a chewing out, she took a deep breath as she waited for an answer on the other line.

"Hello" the garbled voice on the other end had obviously just been woken up.

"Tommy? It's Jane...meet me for breakfast okay...the little diner by my apartment...Yes! Jesus. I'm still there...yeah...no half hour...I need a favor." Hanging up she looked at the phone in disgust before going into her bedroom to change.

Today was the first day of the rest of her life.

Tommy was already waiting for her when she walked into the diner. He looked like shit but then he always did. He was living with some guy in a tenement, someone he met during one of his meetings. They had fallen off the wagon together and he was back to drinking and doing drugs. Jane hadn't seen him since just after her arrest when he had dropped by her apartment to offer his brand of support, a bottle and a bong. She had turned him away, then.

"So sis...all of a sudden I'm good enough to be seen in public with you?" Tommy's sarcasm wasn't lost on her and Jane knew she deserved it, but still it was another twist of the knife in a very open wound.

"Cut the crap Tommy, you knew damn well I wasn't in the mood for your bullshit and you did it anyway." Taking a seat she waited while the waitress took her order before talking again.

"I need a favor." There, she said it, and it tasted like crap.

"Really?" leaning back in is seat Tommy looked at his big sister, his fallen big sister. He almost felt sorry for her, but then she hadn't felt sorry for him in a long time so he smashed any feelings he had for her down deep.

"What kind of a favor do you think I can do for you?"

_Here it was, no turning back now_, "I need a job Tommy." The look would have been funny under any other circumstances.

"You're shitting me, right?" Tommy looked his sister up and down and still saw the proud woman she was, despite the lack of a badge.

"Tommy look at me, what the hell am I good at? Being a cop, that's it...I know the law and thanks to a broken jaw I can't do that work anymore." he was listening so Jane plowed on, "I wanted to stay a cop, it was only an assault, they could have suspended me, but when IAD interviewed me they brought up a bunch of other complaints that had been filed against me...they fucked me Tommy; made a fucking example of me just cause they could, I don't owe them anything."

Listening to his sister's rant Tommy was taken aback by the ferocity of it. She was pissed.

"A job huh? Look Jane, you know what kind of jobs I do...that's not for you...you're not like that" he couldn't do it. He was the black sheep, not her. For her to work with him...

"Tommy you're not listening, Ma doesn't know what to do with me, Frankie can't even look at me. Korsak won't even answer my calls anymore. I need to worry about me now. Take care of number one, you're the one who's good at that, teach me."

Seeing the shock on his face she continued, "Tommy I know the police, I know procedure, hell I can help you...I just need a chance." the last came out as a plea.

Tommy watched as his sister slouched in the chair in defeat. His mother would hate him for this, but then what else was new.

"Janie you know what I do isn't legal right?" watching for her reaction, he was a bit surprised when there was none.

"I'm not stupid Tommy."

"Alright sis," sticking his hand out he shook her hand, "you ready to start today?"

"Today?" Jane wasn't expecting to start so quickly but, "yeah sure, give me an hour? I have a couple bills to pay with the last of my pay."

"Fine," getting up to leave "I'll meet you back here in a hour." Tommy turned back to his sister as she looked into her coffee cup. "Janie, don't screw me on this okay?"

Jane could only nod as she downed the rest of her coffee. Leaving a tip, she pulled out her cell and dialed a number she had secretly hoped she wouldn't have to.

"Dammit Jane Rizzoli how can you be working with Tommy?" Angela wiped her hands on the dish towel and turned around.

"Ma, you need to calm..."

"NO! I will not calm down for goodness sakes he works for a drug dealer Jane...A drug dealer! And that boyfriend of yours...Do you even care about how this makes Frankie look?"

"Frankie? Frankie! What the hell Ma you don't even...no, you know what, you'd never understand" turning on her heel she stomped out of the kitchen, slamming the back door behind her.

Cursing under her breath, she ran right into Frankie as he came up the walk, extending a steadying hand as they crashed into each other, "whoa, slow down Jane...hey you okay?"

Her red face and tear filled eyes told him something was wrong, but then what wasn't these days...with Jane off the force and running around with Tommy doing God knows what, his life was hell at work.

"I'm fine Frankie, let me go..." yanking her arm out of his grasp, she went to her car and got in. Without so much as a backward glance she peeled out of the driveway.

"Shit!" Frankie made his way to the kitchen door but stopped at the sound of his mother's sobs..."Dammit Jane..."

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><p>"I can't keep doing this..." she said.<p>

"You have to. We're so close"

"It's been four months...I can't...this is just too friggin hard." Punching the wall she paced.

The room she was in was sparsely decorated and revealed nothing about its occupants.

"Jane look..."

"No Dan, you're only my boyfriend for show remember, you don't get to _Jane look_ me"

"Janie be reasonable, you're finally in close, they've even accepted Dan, we can't throw all this work away now." Korsak was worried about his protégé.

He could tell these last few months had been hell for her but the cover had to seem real, unbreakable if they were going to infiltrate this drug ring. The opportunity had presented itself when Dan discovered Tommy's involvement. They suddenly had an in. But they had to play it just right.

"Jane listen to me," Dan said, "they killed a kid just last week with that crap they're selling."

"You don't think I know that! Dammit Dan, you're the boyfriend, hell you're off the book at BPD, you didn't have to get kicked out I did." Sitting down abruptly she looked at them both and knew they had no answers for her. No one did until they dealt with the person behind the new shipment of drugs on the street. They were targeting kids and she knew she couldn't allow that to continue, but...

"I have a meeting tomorrow," she said softly.

"What!" Korsak made her look at him. "What the hell Janie? Did you talk to him?"

"Her, its a her, she called herself Dominique, said she liked how I handled the group that tried to muscle in on Tommy."

Three days ago Tommy and she had been out together while he made some sales. She stayed in the car per their arrangement and was surprised when she heard him yell from the side of the building. Running out, she had come upon two men beating her brother down. Tackling one, she kicked the other in the nuts. Tommy beat him down while she took out the guy she tackled. It wasn't planned, but it had accelerated her meeting with the person in charge. She was still on 'probation,' but apparently the manner in which she took the men down and her brother's praises had elevated her somewhat, enough to be introduced to who they worked for.

"Yes!" Korsak clapped his hands together and looked back at Jane. "Janie, the end is in sight...you're almost done with this."

Ignoring him, "Dan, you're to come with me." she said.

"Why?" Dan looked slightly shocked he was being included in the meeting.

"Why? She wants to meet the man who can handle me...apparently Tommy told her that I have a boyfriend who we both work with. Plus she knows you've been taking over some of Tommy sale areas. Guess she wants to kill two birds with one stone."

"We've got her.." Dan said.

"No we don't, not unless we can connect her directly, or observe her directly. You know this may still take some time...goddammit Vince you never told me it would be this hard." The pain in her eyes made him cringe.

"Jane...its the job, you knew that going in...don't doubt yourself now, we need your head in this or it all goes to shit..." He didn't like talking to her like that but she had to keep a clear head. They were heading into very dangerous territory now, any mistakes could be deadly.

Tommy watched his sister as she held her hands above her head. The look she gave him let him know she did not appreciate being frisked by anyone. Looking at Dan, he saw him being frisked as well. He couldn't believe Dominque wanted to meet them. Jane had been working with him steadily for the past few months and she had been integral in helping them avoid arrest, not to mention she was a hell of an enforcer, as was Dan. No one ever expected her to be a able to kick ass like she did even if she was a former cop. Looking at her face he saw the bruise over her right eye that she had gotten in the fight just the other day.

Taking a seat Jane sat as nonchalantly as possible. In a few minutes she was going to meet the woman who was the driving force behind this drug ring and who had played a part in thrusting her off a precipice she hoped to never approach again.

The woman who entered the room was a slight woman, hispanic, flanked by two much larger men. Taking a seat across the room she sat back and clasped her hands in front of her. "Well, well, well...Detective Rizzoli."

"I'm not a detective anymore..."

"No you're not are you dear," her Spanish accent gave her voice a lilt that did not fit her position. "You're a disgrace now aren't you?" the dismissive note in her voice was not lost on Jane.

"I'm out of here." Jane got up to leave but was pulled back by Tommy.

"Jane sit down," he warned.

"Yes Jane sit down..." Dominique nodded to the man on her left. Pulling out an envelope he walked over and dropped it in Jane's lap.

Looking from the envelope to Dominique, Jane's eyes narrowed. "What is this?" she said without opening it.

"Jane...you are in my employ...and my understanding is that you've done well with your brother as has your boyfriend," she said acknowledging Dan. "Now however I am in need of your services."

Jane opened the enveloped and was shocked at the amount of money she saw. "Jesus, what do you want me to do, kill somebody?" she joked.

"Yes, that's exactly what we want you to do."

Jane felt her heart clench in her chest, there was no turning back now. "I won't kill an innocent, I still have some principles." the way she said it made the other woman glare at her for a moment before nodding her head.

"I can respect that, but this person isn't innocent, he betrayed me and has been helping the police recently in their investigation. I need him gone."

Jane weighed her options and knew that if she wanted this nightmare to finally end, she would have to agree.

"Who is it?"

"He's actually someone you already know, I don't think you'll mind doing this little task for me. I believe his last name is Williams."

Jane sat there looking at Dominique before glancing over at Dan. His barely imperceptible nod launched her tirade. "Williams! That son of a bitch!" getting to her feet she paced the room, watching the men with Dominique. They were extremely protective, _who was this woman?_ Jane realized she was waiting for an answer.

"Janie you don't have to do this," Tommy couldn't let her do it.

"Shut up Tommy..." Jane growled.

He never wanted this, "Janie please say no," he looked nervously over at Dominique who was basically ignoring him and had eyes only for Jane.

"Yes...I'll do it..."

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><p>It had been over three years since she had heard the name. Looking up at Dan Jane shook her head, "no that's impossible...how the hell did she get out?"<p>

"It was a mistake Jane, they had papers for her release and just followed procedures. Somehow she got someone to change the documentation." Dan watched as his ex-partner paced the hallway.

"What about her local connections?"

"No one's talking, they're scared Jane." Dan hated to be the one to tell her.

When they had finally brought Dominique down three years ago, she had promised that they would pay. Dominique's connections had done their best to dissuade both officers from testifying, going so far as to run Jane off the road. They had been able to connect the attempt on Jane's life to Dominique as well and she had gone down for drug trafficking, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and an assortment of other charges. She shouldn't be tasting freedom for the next fifty years.

"How long has she been out?" Jane could not believe this was happening.

"Ten days Jane..." he waited.

"What the fuck Dan? We're just finding out now?"

"The administration at the jail is under investigation because of it, but yeah, we're finding out now."

"Finding out what?" Korsak was surprised to see Dan. He rarely put in an appearance at the precinct since he was always undercover.

"Vince, Dominique is out." Korsak's face dropped as he looked at them both.

"Holy..."

"Yeah?" When she was finally arrested the information gathered on Dominique was extensive. She was a suspect in a number of homicides from New York to Boston and her connections in Mexico were directly responsible for the murders of a number of DEA agents in New Mexico. She was the big leagues and taking her down had helped propel Jane into the coveted Homicide slot she now had. The threats she had made against her and Dan had been taken seriously and it wasn't until she was incarcerated that their stress had eased. Until now.

Running a hand through her hair she could feel her stomach clench. She was used to being threatened but this woman had the means to make it a reality. It had been ten days though with nothing...

"You know what Dan, we were headed over to the Dirty Robber tonight, come with us, we can talk and figure out where we go from here. I don't know about you, but I could use a beer right now." Jane looked at Korsak who nodded.

"I'll tell Frost to meet us there."

"Good, I'll grab Maura and head down then maybe we can put our heads together." Jane hated including Maura but knew she couldn't cancel on her.

"Fine, I'll meet you there in fifteen." Dan headed out to grab his jacket and call his wife.

"Damn it Vince..." she said softly

"I know kid, I know."

Jane picked at the peanuts in the bowl. Korsak and Frost were at the bar grabbing their drinks and Jane had just finished briefing Maura.

"Jane, I mean I knew you went undercover, but you never told me just how involved you had become. It's a little shocking actually."

"I know, it was a time I'd rather have forgotten, you don't know how long it took to get folks believe I was actually undercover the whole time. As for Ma forgiving me... ugh... took forever before she dropped it! Frankie, not so much, cos he was barely out of the academy, and said he understood why I had to do it." tossing a peanut in the air, she caught it in her mouth and smiled at Maura who still looked slightly stunned by the whole revelation.

"Great thing about homicide, no undercover work." Seeing Dan through the window, she watched and waved as he approached the front door.

The sound of gunshots was muffled inside the Robber but as a police officer, you recognized that sound.

"Dan!" Jane watched him fall just outside the door and ran toward him ignoring Korsak's call to stop. Weapon drawn she leaned down and felt for a pulse. It was there, but the bullet had hit Dan high in the chest. Hoping someone had called 911, she looked around for any sign of the shooter, seeing none, she moved to holster her weapon.

"JANE!"

As more shots rang out, Maura's scream pierced the air. Jane felt herself slammed against the glass, before crashing into pavement, her last conscious thought being of Maura.

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	3. Chapter 3 Explanations

**A/N:Co-Written with SSA-rtune. R and I belongs to Tess, Janet and TNT, we don't own them but would just love to possess them **

**Oh…Dominique? She's ours…**

***Thank you for all the wonderful reviews-I hope you all continue to enjoy this story and for those who noted, yes King of Cliffhangers is back…brought a Queen along who is just as bad so buckle up…**

Maura paced the waiting room as the doctors worked on both Dan and Jane. Dan's chest wound required surgery and Korsak had already called his wife to come to the hospital. He had lost a lot of blood and was critical but the doctor's had been cautiously hopeful.

Jane had taken two bullets, one high in her right shoulder and a solid graze to her head. Maura's scream had saved her according to Frost. He was on her heels and when Maura screamed Jane had instinctively turned toward her. It hadn't been much, but Frost swore it was enough to avoid the bullet hitting her dead centre in the chest.

Maura fidgeted with the ring on her hand, seeing Jane laying on the sidewalk unconscious had brought last year's shooting racing back. The fear, the uncertainty, the love she felt for her. Her heart had stopped when she saw Jane slam into the glass and fall forward. After the revelation from Jane about her undercover work with Dan, for this to happen immediately after...it had rocked her. Her feelings were in the wind right now, haphazard and blown about. She thought she knew everything about Jane but it turned out there were still some secrets and that scared her almost as much as the thought of losing her.

Rubbing her eyes she wiped away the tears that had been falling since she had tended to Jane and Dan on the sidewalk outside the Dirty Robber.

Maura knew Jane's mother was on her way as was Frankie...she wanted, no desperately needed to speak to the older Rizzoli woman. Unconsciously, Maura smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress. It was then she noticed specks of blood, drying and staining the material, and for a second time, she felt her heart beat rise in panic as anxiety clawed at her. _Reddish brown stains_ she could almost hear Jane's sarcasm at her refusal to call it blood. She was saved from having to deal with any more, as she heard footsteps heading her way.

Korsak and Frost walked in having stayed behind initially to give statements to those who would be sent in to investigate what had happened. "Any word?" Frost asked as they moved in to stand alongside where she was still pacing.

"Not much, Dan's in surgery and Jane is still unconscious. They said the bullet in her shoulder didn't break any bone but the shot to the head has them concerned since she hasn't woken up yet. She..." Maura's voice broke as finally the weight of what was happening slammed in to her and she sat down abruptly sobbing into her hands.

"Damn" Korsak said as Barry knelt down in front of her.

"Doc...Doc look at me, she'll be okay...you know that...right?" Frost kept his voice soft and gentle knowing how this woman loved his partner even if it it hadn't been acted on. Hell, pretty much the whole world could see what the two women meant to each other, except the two who needed to know the most it seemed.

Maura drew in a deep breath, before looking at Frost with a slight smile. "Thank you." was all she could say, but his words had helped ground her again.

"Hey, what else are friends...Family..." Frost amended, "for." He didn't get to say any thing else, as the door to the treatment room where Jane had been taken swung open.

Angela and Frankie arrived just as the doctor came out to give them an update on Jane. He was quickly introduced to them all, before delivering his report, having got permission from Angela to treat everyone as family.

"She has at least a grade 2 concussion, possibly grade 3. We'll know more once she wakes up. The bullet plus the impact with the glass could have done much more damage. I would say Detective Rizzoli is very lucky. She's sedated at the moment, we had to irrigate and clean out the shoulder wound and needed her to be pretty much out of it to achieve that, as well as being able to stitch it all back up. Fortunately it was a through and through nor did it hit any major blood vessels, which helped matters. We have her arm immobilized and the sedation should wear off in an hour or two. Right now we want to keep her overnight at least to make sure there are no complications from the concussion." Nodding to those gathered in the waiting room, "does anyone have any questions?"

Angela looked at Maura who could only shake her head at her, looking relieved at what was being said, and that was enough to appease Angela's concerns for the time being at least.

"When can we see her?" Angela asked, desperate to see her daughter for herself.

"You'll be able to go see her in about ten minutes. Now when she wakes, please let the nurse know right away so that we can evaluate the concussion further. She may be a bit sensitive to light and noise when she wakes so be prepared for that. As well, she may not immediately remember what happened but that's normal and be a bit disoriented. As I said, just be sure to contact the nurse immediately."

"Thank you doctor." Maura looked at Angela and was surprised when she was enveloped in a heartfelt hug from the older woman.

"Thank you Maura"

"Angela I haven't done anything..."

"Yes you have, you're here, for Jane, just like you were last year for Jane and Frankie...I know they'll be okay if you're here."

Maura's astonishment at those words must have shown on her face.

"She's right you know," Korsak said. "If you hadn't called out her name... and given first aid, it's once again saved her from having to face more treatment when she arrived here..." Vince left the consequences unspoken...Jane always walked a fine line between heroic and reckless and somehow in the last couple of instances, Maura's presence had helped to avoid tragedy. How much longer would that luck hold though?

Frost moved to pull his cell phone out of his pocket. "Listen, I better call Cavanaugh; let him know what is happening."

"Good idea." Korsak nodded. "While you're at it, make sure he doesn't put Crowe on this. We need to keep it contained, for now. Tell him I'll explain once I get back to the precinct but that Dominique is back in the picture, he'll know what I mean..." Korsak didn't clarify further, but Frost had now worked with him long enough to recognize the need to do as he said. Before he had chance to go outside to make the call, Maura stood up, stopping him in his tracks.

"Please, use this antibacterial gel. I recently read a study which suggests one in six mobile phones is contaminated with fecal matter. Although Campylobacter and Salmonella bacteria are much more likely to cause a gastric infection they could easily be passed on through faecal contamination. Hospitals are a breeding ground for such infections."

Frost looked at Maura wide eyed, but didn't protest when she handed him her own personal bottle of gel, and he quickly squirted a generous amount on his hands and rubbed furiously before he handed it back, and she slipped it in her purse again.

Korsak snorted back the laugh that was threatening, as he slapped Frost on the shoulder. "Good to see you back Doc." was all he said.

Listening in on the conversation, no one had seen Angela flinch when she heard the name Dominique, and by the time their attention was back to the waiting room, she had pulled her mask in place. Instead Angela took Maura's hand again, and smiled. "Let's go see how our girl is doing."

If Maura was surprised by Angela's choice of words, she didn't show it, simply nodding her assent and began following the older Rizzoli towards the room where a nurse had just told them Jane had been placed.

"Ma, I'm gonna stay with Vince and Barry. See what I can do to help ya know." Frankie had also heard the name that sent shivers down his spine. That woman had almost cost Jane her career and family, and now he wanted to make sure he wasn't kept at arms length like before. Last time, Jane was on her own. Frankie was determined she wouldn't be in the same position again.

"Sure Frankie. Vince, you look after my boy you hear." Angela said, with a tight smile in Frankie's direction before she and Maura began to walk through the doors. She didn't like that Frankie wanted to get involved, but Angela also knew he'd heard the name as well, and so she couldn't stop him from helping this time around. A ghost from their past had just re-emerged, and Angela was determined _that woman _wasn't going to wreak the same level of hell she'd managed last time on the family, so for once she was going to swallow her pride and let Frankie do what he needed to do. Just as they were about to disappear from view, Maura heard Korsak call after them.

"Tell Jane we say hi and we're on this. No point us all crowding her, but if you need anything, we'll be either here or back at the precinct."

Maura turned to face him. "Thank you." It seemed to be the words she was using a lot towards these men who protected both Jane and herself so much, and yet she couldn't think of anything else to say. Korsak merely nodded back to her, and Maura took a deep breath before beginning to enter the room where once again, Jane was lying helpless due to injuries sustained in the line of duty. In many ways, Maura knew she was trying to delay the inevitable.

_You can do this_ Maura steeled herself once more, before going across the threshold properly. She heard the door behind her close softly with a click that would not be heard under usual noise levels. However, the room was eerily quiet. It didn't even have the sound of monitors, unlike before, and Maura didn't know whether to be pleased by that, or slightly scared. At least previously the noise had been a signal Jane was alive. Now, she had to move forward, grasping Jane's wrist that wasn't attached to an IV in her fingers to check for a pulse before she could be satisfied that this wasn't a dream. Jane had survived the attack. She then felt Angela once again gripping her fingers with her own, and she was shocked to realize she had forgotten all about the older women being in the room with them.

"Let's sit." Angela motioned to a couple of hard plastic chairs that were alongside the bed. Angela took the one furthest from the bed, and when Maura went to protest, she held out her hand and stopped her in her tracks. "Jane will want to see you first." was all Angela would give as an explanation. Maura, despite not understanding, sat down on the offered chair, and without a thought, reached out with her free hand to once again hold Jane's.

"It's her right shoulder." Maura found her voice finally. "I'm not sure whether to be grateful about that or not."

"Why's that?" Angela had been around Maura long enough to know she had said this for a good reason.

"It means because she's left handed she won't be so badly impaired, and so hopefully a better patient. The trouble is, it also means she'll be trying to get back to work and not rest like she should."

"Well, we're used to Janie doing whatever she wants, and the consequences be damned. So tell me, what the hell happened to land her in here again?"

Taking a deep breath, and looking back at the still form of Jane, Maura began explaining what had transpired. "We were meeting up at The Robber, and she had arranged to meet Dan there. Something to do with an old case they worked on." Maura didn't know how much about Dominique's involvement she wanted to divulge.

"Dominique." Angela said, and smiled when she saw the look of surprise cross Maura's face. "I'm old I'm not deaf, I heard Vince talking."

"Oh," Maura nodded in understanding. "Anyway, she had just given me a abridged history of her time with Dan, when she saw him approach outside. We heard gunfire and in her usual reckless, headstrong, ornery, obdurate, mulish, obstinate stubbornness; she ran out and promptly got hurt because she didn't follow procedure, her desire to protect someone she is close to again came to the fore." Maura shook her head slightly. "While her actions are so often something you can admire time and again..."

Maura couldn't finish as Angela carried on for her. "It kills you inside because you know it gets her in to situations she shouldn't be in. Equally, it's what makes her such a great detective and person. Asking her to change would be like asking her to change her DNA."

"Exactly." Maura all but whispered, grasping Angela's hand a little tighter.

"How did you cope? When she was undercover. I know you didn't know what was truly happening at the time, but what was it like? I'm trying to reconcile all that I know of Jane now to what happened then, and you're the only one I can think to ask who can give me the answers I'm looking for. Well, I could ask Jane, but you know she'll deflect the questions and I need more background before I can counter that when I do speak to her."

The request surprised Angela, although she tried hard not to let it show. "It was a complicated time." Angela sighed, "It isn't simple, and it's going to take a while to try and explain it all."

"We've got nowhere else to be." Maura pointed out. "It's as good a time as any to at least try and begin to explain it for me. I need to know." The last four words came out as a plea, and it broke Angela's resolve to never visit that time in her life again.

"Did she tell you she didn't tell any of us what she was about to do?" Maura nodded in reply to the question. "Good, at least I don't have to explain that. We honestly all thought she had lost her mind, that she had become just like Tommy and his so called friends." Angela couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice as she spoke. "It nearly killed her father. Frank, Frankie and I, we all blamed ourselves, all wondering what we had done wrong. It was bad enough that she got kicked out of the police force and became a criminal. To then see her apparently descend in to drugs was heartbreaking." Angela couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks and she had to stop and pull out a tissue from her purse. Maura gave her some time to compose herself.

"Did she ever..." Maura hated that she was about to ask the next question, "Ever use drugs? You hear about it all the time, they go so deep undercover they lose sight of the reason they are there." Maura couldn't bring herself to mention the name Bobby. His actions were still too raw.

"We thought so. After a while, she looked so ill we thought she was on drugs. She'd lost weight, obviously wasn't sleeping well, was twitchy and on edge the whole time, no real appetite. All the signs we knew from Tommy. We tried to talk to her, but the more we tried, the more introverted and angry she became. We had to make a choice, continue to push and lose her. Don't push and lose her to the drugs. It was an impossible choice to make. If only we'd known..." Once again, Angela had to stop talking as tears fell.

"What happened?" Maura's voice was gentle, for the first time she was really getting a sense of how destructive Jane's time had been, not just on herself, but on those around her.

"It all came down to the fact she was undercover. She had to make up such an elaborate story for it to work, to have to lie like that to not just close friends, but her family. She even had to pretend to kill someone, and it was killing her inside. I've never said this to anyone else, but when we found out the truth, I should have been relieved, but I wasn't. Drugs, I knew how to deal with that, we'd dealt with Tommy's addictions, so it was just another hurdle to face. But this, this was two years of my baby girl without any true support, to become the very person she wasn't. It tore her up and I didn't know how to deal with it. How to help her. I'm still not sure she ever fully recovered from it all. I don't know if any of us did. She built up defensive walls I've never seen before, and I don't think she ever let them crumble completely again. Then Hoyt got her the first time around and those walls went straight back up and are still there. You're the only person she has let anywhere near her since she went undercover."

Angela's last admission made Maura gasp. "Surely there have been..."

Angela interrupted. "Believe me, you have gotten closer to my baby than anyone has in a very long time. I'm just praying this doesn't push out the one person she has let in. I'm scared Maura. I'm just scared about what this is going to do to her." Angela finally admitted. "It took Jane and I a long time to become a mother and daughter again. I was angry, she was angry and all we could do was fight. We allowed our guilt to take over. You though, she lets you see her, lets you hold her hands, despite the scars. She turned to _you_ when Hoyt threatened again. A whole precinct of trained police, an FBI agent, and it was you she trusted. Whatever happens Maura, you need to stand by her, let her know she isn't alone. Not this time. Make sure she doesn't push you away. Promise me you can do that. Please."

Maura looked at the older woman and was taken aback by the fear in the other woman's eyes. _"She's scared I'll abandon Jane." _She had never seen Angela looking this vulnerable. This was different from last year's shooting, this was more painful for her.

"Angela, I'm here for her and I don't plan to go anywhere. I have every intention of making sure that Jane knows it as well."

"That I know what? Oww...what the hell..." the sound of Jane's soft complaining voice made them both smile as they wiped away the tears they didn't know had fallen while they talked.

Maura squeezed Jane's hand and stopped her from moving. "Please Jane, stay still." hitting the call button, she nodded over toward Angela.

Following her gaze, Jane saw her mother's tear filled eyes and flinched just slightly as her mother tried to envelope her in a hug.

"Aw Ma, come on...its okay...owww...not so tight..." Jane's voice dropped an octave as the pain in her head was matched by the pain her shoulder.

"Oh honey I'm so sorry!" Angela cry brought fresh tears.

"It's okay Ma," looking at Maura, she took her hand from Maura's and grabbed her mother's, squeezing tightly. "Ma look at me...its okay..." Angela's answering nod was enough for her as she brought her hand up to her head.

Closing her eyes against the light, Jane continued, "What the hell happened?"

She couldn't move her right arm and looked down to find it bound to her, a large bandage on her shoulder. Jane could feel a numbness wearing off and pain radiating from the site of the bandage. Her head...it felt worse than any hangover she had ever had, and she'd had plenty...she tried to remember, Dominique, the Robber, Dan, and Maura.

Eyes snapping open, she looked at Maura, grasping her hand tightly, "are you okay? I heard you scream."

Nodding, "I'm fine Jane." Maura was surprised that Jane asked about her first.

"Dan?" she said quietly.

"Alive, in surgery." seeing the look on Jane's face, "It looks hopeful Jane." Maura didn't want to go into detail about everything that could go wrong. Right now her statistics and facts would only aggravate the situation even while it calmed her personally.

"Thanks Maur." Jane's raspy voice sent a shiver down Maura's spine. She would never grow tired of hearing her name on those lips.

"And me?" pointing to her head and shoulder, she smiled at Maura.

"Concussion and bullet to the shoulder, a through and through." Maura's pained expression as she gave Jane the most minimal information was not lost on Angela or Jane for that matter.

"Hey...I'm okay." She hated putting Maura through this, after last year she promised herself she would be more careful, but damned if she didn't throw herself out there again.

Trying to lighten the mood, she looked at both women and continued her original waking thought, "You guys were talking when I woke up, so which one of you is going to tell me what it is I need to know..."

**As always, please let us know what you think…remember, more reviews=quicker updates.**

**Honorcpt & SSA-rtune**


	4. Chapter 4 Dominique

**A/N: Co-Written with SSA-rtune, we own no one but Dominique and her minions.**

**I'm glad that so many off you are enjoying this story…please continue to read, review and enjoy…**

Having sent Frankie back to the precinct to meet up with Cavanaugh, Frost watched as Korsak spoke to Dan's wife. The surgeon had spoken to her and Dan was in recovery. He knew Korsak was trying to explain to Dan's wife what had happened, at least as much as he knew.

Unfortunately that was more than Barry knew. He was hoping to be briefed when they were at the Robber but the shooting had disrupted those plans. Now he needed to pin Korsak down and find out what the hell was going on. He knew Jane had been undercover with Dan, but he had never been privy to the specifics. With the shootings, he needed to know everything. He had no intention of losing Jane as a partner, he wanted to help her, protect her, she was family, but he needed to know who she was, and her life undercover had helped shape her as a detective and as a person.

Finally, Korsak looked at Frost and could tell by the look on the younger man's face that he wanted to talk and he didn't have to think hard to know about who.

"So how is she?" Frost asked.

"She's a strong lady, it's not the first time he's been hurt but he's always been on the job, this is...well shocking for her...she had a lot of questions I couldn't answer right now." Korsak ran a hand through his hair as he realized how complicated everything had gotten.

"So do I." Frost didn't mince words.

"Yeah, yeah...I guess it's time to bring you up to speed." Korsak started walking back toward the emergency room waiting area. "Look, Janie's not gonna be happy with me telling you all this but with what just happened and who she is. It's gonna be up to all of us to make sure she doesn't do something stupid." seeing the expression on Frost's face. "I know, I know, but this is different. Going undercover changed her. She was always tough but the life she had to live while she was undercover was almost too much for her. You know how she is about lying?" the younger man nodded, "well she had to lie to everyone...when she went undercover it was after getting kicked off the force for assaulting a suspect." Korsak let that sink in.

"You're shitting me, Jane got kicked out?"

"Keep up Frost, no it was part of her cover, but she had to let everyone believe it, she had to play the part, even with her family..."Korsak's voice dropped as they approached the waiting room.

"They didn't know?" incredulous, Frost just shook his head, family was everything to Jane, that must've killed her.

"They didn't know and she had to play that part. It made her a little nuts, you know?"

"I can imagine...go on"

"Well you can imagine, all that time undercover, when everything finally wrapped itself up, Jane was left trying to clean up the mess. Believe me when I tell ya, she had given up everything in her life to do this and had to start all over when she finally came back. The brass, they were sure quick to throw her in there, but when she came out, sure they did what they had to. Sent her for psych evaluation, the usual debriefing shit. What they didn't do was come right out and tell people she wasn't dirty. Sure, they made a few half heartened announcements to people who asked or needed to know, but nothing else." Korsak's voice hardened as he remembered, "do you know why Crowe doesn't leave her alone? I was supposed to find her and make the arrest, but he saw it going down and got to her before I could and fucking arrested her. As far as he is concerned, she's a dirty cop and she stroked a few folks to get her job back. The brass stood by and let him think that as well."

"No way!" Frost's anger grew by the second.

"This whole episode is not my proudest moment being in the force." Korsak admitted. "I ran as the contact between Dan, Jane and the department at the time. I saw how Jane was struggling, and I could have pulled her out, but I didn't. I saw what it was doing to her family and I still didn't try to stop it. I know, deep down even if I'd tried, Jane wouldn't have let me, but I still wish I'd done more to protect her, and then when she faced all that shit with the operation over, I was pretty helpless again. When you've got good cops, not believing she was clean and who wouldn't listen to me...Shit... It was all right for Dan, hey he was just one of the boys, out there doing his job... but Jane... she's had to fight just about every bit of prejudice going before all that happened... this just amped it right up another level... " Korsak shook his head, showing real emotion for the first time, making Frost feel even angrier as to what had happened to both Jane and Korsak.

"How'd you manage?" Frost asked eventually.

"We had to just keep on going. Course, it didn't help that Jane got bumped up to homicide. It was done on merit, but a lot of people, even to this day, say she slept her way in. Okay, she's proven herself now to a lot of folks, but some of the older guys, they might not say it, but they still wonder... even when it all went to trial, and a lot of this came out, there were some who still never believed it."

"Crowe included." Frost couldn't keep the disgust about his so called colleague out of his voice.

"Crowe included."

"What aren't you telling me?" Frost could tell there was one thing that Korsak was keeping back from him.

"It... look I don't know this for sure, and if you even breath a word of this to Jane, I'll kill you."

"Hey, what's new." Frost joked, before turning serious again. "Come on, you know I won't say anything."

"One reason I never fought Jane when she asked for a new partner after Hoyt..." Korsak readjusted his tie in a nervous gesture, before taking a deep breath. "She can be reckless now, but then... lets just say she was even worse and I'm pretty sure Jane went in alone to that basement because she felt she had something to prove. She needed to show she wasn't a dirty cop... "

"Jesus." Frost all but whispered, alternating between anger and disbelief at what he was hearing, as well as sorrow, not even able to imagine what Jane had gone through. Suddenly it made his own battles to be taken seriously in the force seem small and insignificant.

"Hey, like I say, I don't know for sure. It's just a feeling I get." Korsak said suddenly. "Listen, forget I said anything."

"Sure." Frost nodded. "So, Dominique, what's her story?"

Korsak looked grateful at the slight change of conversation. "Oh, she's a real classy lady! She had a French Mom, her Dad is Mexican and a drug lord, who we know is in to trafficking across the border into Texas. As a kid, she was snatched by a rival of her Dad's. We don't really know for how long, but he got her back. It was her first lesson in how weak females could be, and she apparently vowed to never be in that situation again. She worked at becoming the son her Dad never had, but supposedly always wanted. Her Mom couldn't deal with the change, and from what we can tell, left when Dominique was just thirteen, although it could be she wasn't allowed to leave. Her whereabouts have never been confirmed."

"A lovely family." Frost said dryly.

"Yeah, real family of the year stuff. Anyway, her Dad indulged her, never took her seriously cos he still thought women weren't cut out to be in the business. Then there was some kind of attempt on his life, and Dominique took the person out. Changed his whole perception of the kid. She wanted to expand the business more in the the U.S... it prompted him to let her try, and not only did she succeed, but she flourished. Her connections go across the border and money, death and drugs go hand in hand. Deadly with a gun, never goes anywhere without a knife hidden on her person. Anyone who betrays her ends up dead. It is how she has insured loyalty...fear...plus her father backs her implicitly, normally."

"Normally, what do you mean?"

"Word is he wanted her out of Boston before we got her last time. She got out of prison ten days ago. We don't know how yet, its one of the questions we're gonna need answers for. It's why Dan had come to see Jane – to warn her. Dominique wanted them before she got sent away, and now she's out..." Korsak didn't have to finish.

"Man, this is one shitty mess." Frost looked around him, watching others going about their daily routine that all seemed so out of place to what he was hearing. "So, you think it's Dominique whose behind the shooting today?"

"I don't think... I know." Korsak replied flatly. " I would bet my months pay check Dad won't be happy she's trying to take out people here now. She might have a hired gun to do the dirty work, but I'm telling you, she will want to be close by to see it all going down. There were some attempts on witnesses, including Dan and Jane before she got sent down, but once she was inside and couldn't see it happening, it stopped. She has the muscle and money to have put out a hit on Jane and Dan at any time, but it's not her style. She likes to be up close and personal. She's gonna be here, and she isn't gonna rest until either we stop her; or she sees Dan and Jane six feet under."

"So?" she said, looking from one to the other, "what are you going to make sure I know?" Jane narrowed her eyes at the look that passed between them. "Maura?"

"It's nothing Jane we were just saying that, well I was just saying to your mother that I would make sure you knew that Joe Friday would be taken care of tonight. Frankie volunteered to take him."

Maura's glib response wasn't lost on Jane and she knew that wasn't what Maura meant, but as she looked at her mother's face and the concern on it for her once again, she decided to let it go. Besides, her head hurt too much to over think anything right now.

"Hmmm," closing her eyes against the pounding in her head, "so, when do I go home?" the pain in her voice was evident to both women as they glanced at one another.

"They want to keep you overnight." Maura stepped back at the look in Jane's eyes when they snapped open at her words.

"I'm not staying" with those words, she pulled the sheet off and attempted to swing her legs over the side of the bed.

"No!" The authority in Maura's voice was unexpected by both Rizzoli women. Seeing the look in Maura's eyes Jane put her legs back on the bed and lay back. Grateful actually as the sudden movement had sent waves of pain down her right side and head.

"Damn Maura, no need to yell." her grin softened her words and elicited a small smile from Maura.

"Jane Rizzoli you will stay in this hospital bed until the doctors release you, do you understand?" even though she was smiling, Jane realized Maura was being deadly serious.

"Maura come on I'm fine..." at the look Maura gave her, Jane let her voice trail away, looking to her mother for help, she realized she was on Maura's side.

The doctor's entry stopped any further conversation as he approached the bed, "Well detective, good to see you awake. How are you feeling? Headache? Dizziness? Any nausea?" As he spoke, he pulled out a penlight, pointing it into her eyes and then away again.

"Headache and dizziness" she said quietly watching as Maura's eyes narrowed.

"Hmmm, does the light bother you," pointing the light again into her eyes, watched as she winced at its brightness.

Swatting his hand away, "yes it does, can you not do that." she was irritable, her head hurt and her shoulder was no longer numb.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked.

"Yes, I was shot."

"Are you having trouble remembering anything?"

"No..." Jane cut him off. She was done, trying to get up had hurt more than it had helped and her shoulder and head were duking it out to see which one was going to hurt more.

Seeing the look on her face, the doctor noted her chart and nodded at both Maura and Angela. "I'll have the nurse come in shortly to give you something for the pain Detective, we're going to keep you at least overnight."

"I'm going home tomorrow," she muttered.

"We'll see detective" leaving the women to themselves, silence filled the room until Angela spoke up.

"Well then...Janie I'm going to let you get some rest and uhm..." looking at Maura, "I'll leave you two to talk."

Walking over to her hug her daughter, Angela was surprised when Jane hugged her tightly back with her good arm, "thanks Ma..." Jane said more with those few words than she had in weeks to her mother.

"Love you Janie" kissing her daughter on the forehead she squeezed her hand briefly before turning to give Maura a hug.

"Thank you again Maura," Angela wiped a tear away and walked out leaving her daughter staring out after her then looking back at Maura.

"Thank you?" Jane tried to shift her body in the bed and cursed as she jostled her shoulder again.

Maura reached over to help and pulled the sheet back up, "your mother seems to think I'm your lucky charm of sorts," the confused look on Jane's face prompted her to continue, "because I've been there when you've been shot, both times..." Maura's voice trailed off as she recalled the last shooting where Jane had almost died.

Jane could tell what she was thinking and it made her feel guilty, "I'm sorry Maura, you always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Jane," she sighed, "I would argue and I think your mother would agree, that I have been in the right place at the right time" Maura's sad smile as she looked at her made her feel guiltier still.

"Damn Maura don't look at me like that." Jane closed her eyes against the pain in her head, "I'm sorry I ran out like that..." Jane's words were softly spoken but heartfelt.

The fear and hurt in Maura's eyes tore at her. It was a physical pain that Jane felt at the thought of having hurt or scared her.

And now, with her past was coming back to haunt her, Jane was going to have to face a part of her life she thought she had put behind her. Eyes closed tightly against the painful memories of her time undercover, she was unaware of her tears until she felt a soft hand on her face. Opening her eyes she looked directly into Maura's concerned ones.

"Jane? Are you in pain?" Maura knew it wasn't just the pain that was causing Jane's tears. After her conversation with Angela, Maura knew Jane had to be reliving her time undercover and she could not begin to imagine how that time had affected her. She was determined not to push Jane into telling her anything about that time but she hoped to encourage her to.

Jane swallowed painfully as she looked at Maura. She owed her so much, her life twice over and truth be told she trusted Maura more than she had ever trusted anyone but she didn't know if she could open up again about those two years. The things she had done..no she couldn't talk to her not now...not yet...

Jane nodded and watched as Maura walked out to get the nurse. Wiping her face angrily she cursed Dominique and herself for not having killed the woman when she had the chance those years ago.

**Yep she had the chance to kill her and didn't…will Jane and those she loves pay for that error in judgment?**

**As always, we love to hear from you, so please read and review….more reviews=quicker updates**


	5. Chapter 5 Who do we Trust?

**As always, none of the characters except for Dominque belong too us.**

**A/N: As previously stated, this story is a collaboration between SSA-rtue and myself. **

**Pleasantly surprised by the interest in this story! Keep it coming…and as always, Enjoy...**

Korsak sighed as his phone rang, and looking at the display he saw it was Cavanaugh. He knew there was no way he would be able to avoid this conversation, so he motioned to Frost to follow him, as he punched the button to answer. "Korsak." He said gruffly.

"What in the hell is happening Vince? Frankie Rizzoli has just given me a load of information, but I need to hear it from you. For a start, you better have a damned good reason for not allowing me to assign this to Crowe." Cavanaugh sounded angry.

Korsak rolled his eyes, as he and Frost both turned in towards the room where Dan had been placed. Korsak stopped just outside the door, not wanting Dan or his wife to hear what he needed to say. "Hello to you too, just so you know, Jane and Dan are fine unless there are complications. Dan is still critical although stable, at the moment." Korsak opening volley was intended to show he wasn't best pleased that Cavanaugh didn't ask how two decorated police officers were. Not getting, nor expecting a response to that, Korsak carried on talking. "As Frankie has no doubt told you... Dominique is out."

"Yeah I heard. So?" Cavanaugh still sounded angry. Korsak couldn't believe he was being so stupid.

"So, it's almost certainly her that's taken shots at Dan and Jane outside The Dirty Robber. There is no way this is random." Korsak was keeping his temper at bay, but only just.

Frost stood next to Korsak, looking decidedly uneasy as he saw the tension in Korsak's face tighten up another notch.

"On what evidence Vince? It could have been a drive by shooting, wrong place, wrong time."

"Sean, I don't believe that for one second, and I don't think you really do either." Korsak spotted some chairs in the corridor, and moved to sit down, with Frost following, still trying to work out what was being said since he was only getting one side of the conversation.

"I need proof Vince." Sean's voice softened. "The brass, they ain't gonna let me just run an investigation off the radar on gut feeling."

"You've done it before." Korsak countered as he sat back running his free hand through his hair. "Listen, we've gotta keep Crowe away from this. Even without the proof, you know how he is with Jane after she went undercover. If this is in anyway related, he'll want to nail her to the wall if he gets any sort of chance to do that because he still believes Jane was working for Dominique for real. He's been gunning to get her for years, I'm asking you keep him away because I don't trust him to not make the evidence fit his own agenda when it comes to Jane. He might be an asshole at times, even I know he does good work, but he has tunnel vision when it comes to Rizzoli, and you know that." When Cavanaugh didn't reply, Korsak knew he'd won that point of the argument and plowed on with the other request he had, knowing that this was going to be greeted even less enthusiastically. "I also think we should put Dan and Jane in to protective custody."

"Have you lost your mind completely." Cavanaugh finally stood up from the chair behind his office desk and began to pace. "For a start, Rizzoli is not going to do that, and it isn't something I can order."

Frost, on hearing Korsak's request had merely raised his eyebrows and looked at the older detective quizzically. Seeing Frost's gaze, Korsak shook his head to show Frost not to question him on this... not yet anyway.

"Okay fine, but at least keep Crowe away from this."

"I'll do it for now." Cavanaugh finally conceded, opening his office door and waving Frankie back in to his office from the main detective's bullpen area. "If though you cannot tie this to you know who, I'll have no choice but to put him on the investigation. I'll also put an officer outside the hospital rooms, but that's as much as I can do. You got that?"

"Yeah." Korsak stood back up, "Thanks." he ended the call before looking back at Frost.

"Good news is, he's gonna keep Crowe off the case for now." Korsak looked towards the door where Dan was. "But he won't allow for a protective detail or custody on Dan or Jane other than some uniforms here at the hospital."

Frost stood there and shook his head. "You do know Jane would be ripping your head off right about now if she heard you even mention something like that."

"Yeah, yeah. Cavanaugh pretty much told me the same thing." Korsak admitted. "But Dominique is dangerous Frost. She's as close to Hoyt to getting under Jane's skin as anyone else out there, and she's as much of a killer as he was. As I've tried to explain already, this nearly killed Jane. What with Hoyt, now Dominique out to get her... I'm worried and I'm only trying to protect her. You mark my words, Jane is gonna be affected by this, even if you don't see it to begin with and I don't want her making a stupid mistake." Slowly they walked towards the door, pausing before they went in. "Even if Jane won't go...Dan. He's married, got kids to think about." Korsak didn't say anymore as he pushed the door open and walked in, putting a smile on his face. Frost followed, not too sure what Korsak was trying to tell him about Jane seconds earlier.

Cavanaugh looked up at Frankie as he closed his office door. "I've just spoken to Korsak." Cavanaugh began, watching the younger Rizzoli with keen eyes. There was no doubt, while still very much a rookie, he had a similar drive and determination as his sister. While channelled in a different way, there was undoubtedly a bright future ahead for this young man. Deciding to use Frankie, Cavanaugh went to sit back down on his chair. He motioned for Frankie to take a seat on the other side of the desk, which he did without question.

"Time for you to earn your detective's shield." Cavanaugh's words had Frankie sitting up in interest, and he pulled out his notepad and pen. "I need you to check on someone called Williams. He was a confidential informant we used when Jane went undercover."

"He was the one Jane attacked and she got sentenced for his assault, well, made it look that way." Frankie suddenly realized why he recognized the name.

"He was. He agreed to be the set up man for her, so we could make it convincing. The problem was, he was low down in the drug organization, and they picked up he was helping the police. Jane was asked to kill him."

"I remember, he was one of the names for the attempted murder charge against Dominique."

"Good memory." Cavanaugh looked pleased. "Jane, Korsak and Dan set it up so it looked like Jane killed him and he went in to protective custody until Dominique could be arrested. If Dominique is behind the shooting at The Dirty Robber, he'll also be on the list for her to get revenge on." Cavanaugh lent forward to press home his point. "You'll find all his information in the case file from the trial of Dominique. Jane's trial transcripts and files no longer exist since it was all a sham to begin with... Track him down, find out where he is and bring him in."

"Anything else?" Frankie jotted down what he needed.

"Yeah, just make sure that the Judge, defense lawyer, and anyone else involved in Dominique's trail is okay. We don't need to bring them in yet, but just do a check. I want to make sure she isn't taking anyone out."

"Sure. What about the Judge, jury and lawyers who were used to set up Jane's false trail?" Frankie asked.

"I doubt she'll even look at them. It was a set up that didn't really concern Dominique; it was only to get Jane a good back story, and no threat was ever made against them at the time. Make sure you report only to me, Korsak or Frost."

"Sure." Frankie stood up, knowing he was at the end of the meeting. Cavanaugh merely nodded to acknowledge he could leave. Once the door closed again, he picked up his phone and made a call. There was one person on the list he hadn't mentioned, and for good reason.

"Korsak."

"Cavanaugh. Listen, does anyone know where Tommy Rizzoli is? If this is Dominique, and I'm not saying it is, he's going to be on her radar as well."

On hearing Cavanaugh's words, Korsak's face paled and he had to sit down fast in one of the chairs, that thankfully were close to where he was standing..._Jane would kill him if anything happened to Tommy. Dammit it, why hadn't he thought of Tommy! Of course he was going to be in danger, as much as Jane and Dan now were. _

Jane looked up at Maura, who had sat back down on the chair nearest the bed. She was beginning to feel the effects from the painkillers the nurse had injected, but she desperately needed to keep Maura in her sights. Maura had said very little other than to check on her medically since calling the nurse in, and a tense atmosphere had settled between them, making them both feel uncomfortable. Fighting the tiredness, Jane decided to try and broach it.

"I don't know what you want from me." Jane spoke up, trying to keep her voice level.

Maura looked at Jane with piercing hazel eyes. "I just want the truth."

The words were spoken softly, but the power behind them jolted Jane to the core. She wished suddenly she hadn't tried to say anything. Looking back at Maura with as much courage as she could muster, Jane smiled. "The truth is, I feel better knowing you're here." Jane knew she wasn't lying. Whatever else was happening, she did feel better knowing Maura was there. Her answer did draw a small smile, albeit still showing signs of unease and worry.

"I still need you to be honest with me Jane." Maura finally spoke up again, watching the emotions swirling in Jane's eyes. While Jane was good at keeping her emotions in check, with the painkiller starting to take effect, it opened her up far more if you knew how and where to look for the signs. Maura was scared to see so much that seemed to be going on behind the walls Jane had so obviously built up around her.

"I..." Jane turned her head, and then wished she hadn't moved it as the pain was still pretty intense. Fighting back the tears once again, she bit her bottom lip. "I can't do any more than promise you I'll try."

"If that's all you can offer for now, I'll take that." Maura sat with her hands clasped primly in her lap, forcing herself to sit ramrod upright, as she had been taught all those years ago. Some habits were hard to break, and under stressful situations Maura fell back on the routines that had been drilled into her from a young age without evening knowing she had done so. Looking intently at Jane, she recognized if she tried to push her any further right now, it would only serve to make her retreat further back behind the defenses, not, as Maura needed or wanted, to draw her away from them.

Before she could fall asleep, Jane took another deep breath wanting to try and throw some sort of compromise out for Maura. "I..." Jane hesitated, not sure how to broach the subject. Seeing Maura arch her eyebrows in question, Jane carried on. "I'll need someone to help me when I get out of here. I was kinda hoping..." Jane's voice trailed off as Maura's smile grew wider.

"I'll stay with you at your apartment." Maura said, her voice full of understanding. "I would say stay at my house, but I know you'll want to keep your Mother at bay, and..." Maura paused briefly as she looked for the most tactful wording she could, "living in the guesthouse does mean Angela tends to not think about personal boundaries occasionally, especially when you are visiting."

"Really? You don't say." Jane said with a sarcastic tone and a smile. "Thanks Maur." Jane settled back in her pillows as much as she could, feeling happier knowing she'd offered some kind of olive branch and that it had been taken. It helped soothe her conscience, if only slightly.

Just as Jane had drifted off to sleep, Korsak crept in to the room. He stopped when Maura placed her fingers to her lips to indicate she didn't want him talking, and with a nod of her head, he understood she wanted to go out in to the corridor, rather than risk waking Jane. He quickly retreated out there, pacing slightly as he waited for Maura to join him. His head snapped up when he saw her emerge out of the doorway.

"Where's Frost?" Maura asked once she was certain the door was closed and Jane wouldn't be disturbed noticing immediately that Korsak was alone.

"Sent him back to the station. We need to start trying to work out how Dominique got out, and that means going through computer records." Korsak looked worried, having not shared the information that Frost was tracking down Tommy first as a matter of urgency, as he tipped his head in the direction of Jane's room. "She's all right then?" He finally asked.

Maura smiled and rested a hand lightly on Korsak's arm in a reassuring gesture. "Concussion, and some soreness and limited mobility from the site of the bullet wound, but overall she is very lucky indeed. She should be out tomorrow if tonight goes well. She is also likely to quickly gain some use in her arm, although she'll still have to be careful to begin with, because it's a shoulder injury which are always restricting, no matter how lucky she has been." Maura saw the relief sweep over Korsak's face at her report, and it was struck her not for the first time just what Jane meant to him. "How's Dan?" Maura then asked, suddenly remembering she didn't know his current status.

"Good. Out of surgery. They are keeping him in a coma for a while, to give his body time to heal, like they did with Jane..." Korsak stopped, and Maura didn't need reminding of the incident with Bobby and Jane's own shooting. "His wife is with him."

"What aren't you telling me?" Maura, while she wasn't always au fait on feelings, also knew she had come a long way since she had known Jane. She'd also gotten to know those she worked with the closest enough to pick up all their nuances, and right now, there was no doubt in her mind Korsak was holding something back.

Korsak ran a hand through his hair, before fiddling with his tie. Maura reached a hand out, covering his own, stopping him from his nervous habit. As his eyes drifted up to meet her own, she dropped her hand, and cocked an eyebrow. Sighing, Korsak knew she wasn't going to listen to some cock and bull story.

"I've arranged it with the doctors here and Dan's wife agrees for him to go in to protective custody. Cavanaugh doesn't know I'm doing this; I've had to pull in some big favors to keep this under the radar." Korsak admitted. "It'll be reported he didn't make it from the injuries he sustained."

Maura looked surprised. "Why not tell Cavanaugh? Don't you trust him?" She asked, worried by this turn of events.

"Oh no." Korsak was quick to reassure her. "He just won't sanction it unless he is certain Dominique is behind the shooting. I trust him with all this, he knew what happened when Jane first went undercover, but he still has to balance his books for the brass, and on this occasion he won't go out on a limb for us."

"I fail to see how going out on a body appendage is relevant?"

"Huh?" Korsak's eyebrows knotted together in confusion.

"You said Cavanaugh wouldn't go out on a limb." Maura tried to explain.

"It's a saying Doc." Korsak bit back a laugh, "whatever. He won't allow this, so I've had to go out and do it myself is what I'm saying."

"Oh." Maura nodded. "Will Dan accept this once he wakes up?"

"He'll probably go apeshit on me." Korsak admitted not seeing Maura wince at his language, which even after all the time of being around cops, she still found hard to listen to the more colorful language she heard daily, "But his wife agrees, and I had to do something. He's married, got a family. If she hadn't agreed, I wouldn't have done it, but she'll talk him around when needed."

"I sense there is more you want to say." Maura pressed, seeing him squirm on the balls of his feet.

"Yeah. Look do ya think you can try and get Jane to listen to you? I would feel a lot better if she went in to..." Korsak wasn't given a chance to finish as Maura unexpectedly interrupted him.

"I understand your request, but you know as well as I do, even if it's coming from me, there is no way Jane would agree to such a thing." Maura stated knowingly. While one part of her screamed that she should try and protect Jane, the rational side of her knew Jane would never agree to such a thing and would defy them and go it alone if they tried to insist, potentially putting her in more danger.

Korsak swept both hands through his hair, linking his fingers together at the back of his head and keeping them there for a minute before moving them, one hand stopping to scratch the side of his head. "I know. Dammit I know... I was just hoping."

Maura simply nodded in understanding, her eyes drifting back towards Jane's room door. Seeing her looking that way, Korsak felt himself smile at the obvious love, protection and need to be with Jane Maura was unwittingly displaying. "Go be with Jane." he said, earning him a look of gratitude from Maura. "I'll call you if anything comes up. In the meantime, the one thing I've got from Cavanaugh is there is going to be an armed officer outside this room soon. You just make sure Jane gets well, and we'll do the rest. Hopefully by the time she is able to get out and about, Dominique will be back behind bars."

"Somehow I doubt that, but thank you for trying to reassure me." Maura said softly. "Of course, I'll phone if anything changes here, but I expect Jane to be released either late morning or early afternoon, and we've agreed to go back to her apartment."

"I'll see you around then Doc." Korsak began to walk away, stopping only briefly to watch as Maura disappeared back in to Jane's room. He pulled out his phone, ready to try and find out if there was news from Frankie or Frost praying Tommy was okay. Knowing Jane like he did, Korsak was very aware once she was thinking properly, it would take her no time at all to realize Tommy was in danger, and he sure as hell didn't want to be around when that particular shit hit the fan, because he knew it would get ugly very quickly. He was tired of being so far behind this bitch, it was time to try and go on the offensive.

**Sincerely hope that you are still with us…as always, more reviews=quicker updates….**


	6. Chapter 6  Next Step

**Okay folks…here you go…life's been slapping us both around a bit, but we haven't forgotten you.**

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune, thanks for keeping me on task chica.**

Frankie slammed his notebook down on the counter, not giving a damn about the poor schmuck he just made jump next to him. Cavanaugh had tasked him with finding Williams and find him he did, in the friggin' morgue. Williams body had turned up three days ago as a suspected victim of a mini-drug war going on in South Boston. There had been no reason to suspect anything other than that he was the victim of a random shoot out between rival groups, but now...

His contact had helped him track William's girlfriend down and her rant at him about the police not even knowing he was dead had been enough to rattle him.

Shocked he had headed back to the station to get more information from the M.E.'s office. Maura apparently hadn't done the autopsy, but the file was on her desk for review before it got sent to Homicide and whoever was in charge of this case, so now he had to wait until she came in to work, since it was being given a low priority. His goal had been to just get a quick cup of coffee before he went up to talk with Cavanaugh but he was more than a little concerned about how Maura was going to take this information. That the man that Jane was supposed to have killed for Dominique was now laying in her fridge downstairs.

"Hell!" he thought how Jane was going to take it. This Dominique woman had wreaked havoc on their lives years ago and had changed his sister forever, he refused to let that be the case was not the start he would have hoped for. Perhaps the forensic report would be more help. He'd put a request in for a copy, hoping he hadn't trodden on toes doing that, but he didn't know where else to look and he sure as hell wasn't about to go to Jane or Cavanaugh without something to report.

Maura could sense Jane's agitation with the nurse as the IV was removed. She wanted out, out of the bed and out of the hospital, Maura knew that but she also knew that last night had not been a restful one for Jane even with the pain medication. She had woken up twice during the night to hear Jane talking in her sleep. The references to Dominique during her nightmares were sporadic but elicited a physical almost pained response in Jane even as she slept. Maura hadn't seen her this way since Hoyt. No, even with Hoyt she hadn't been this bad. She hadn't talked in her sleep. Maura had tried waking her the first time only to be physically pushed back. Jane had never woken and even as Maura rubbed the tender spot on the elbow that had smacked the bedrail when she was pushed, she was worrying. She knew Jane's nightmares were sure to get worse before they got better.

"Maur!"

"What? I'm sorry Jane..."

"Where'd you go, you spaced out on me...that's the third time I called you." Jane's concern for her made her smile. She always put Maura first, it was one of the things she loved most about Jane.

"I was just thinking..." she didn't know whether to let Jane know she was aware of the nightmares or not.

"About..." Jane prompted. She couldn't remember the last time she saw Maura space like that, she was always so focused.

"About you. You haven't said much this morning, and I know you're anxious to get out of the hospital, but I want, no I need you to follow doctor's orders...please..." Jane could hear the worry in Maura's voice and the guilt that she was already feeling for involving her intensified.

"Maura look…erm…you don't have to stay with me…" she said, trying to give her a way out, "I mean I know I asked you and all, but I know how difficult I can be…its no secret I'm not the best patient." Her rueful grin tugged at Maura's heart.

"Jane it's settled…I am staying with you until you don't need me anymore." Folding her arms across her chest she watched as Jane settled back against the pillow.

"Fine," she said before asking the question she had been fearful of asking, "how's Dan?"

Maura considered her answer. She hadn't had a chance to discuss Korsak's plan with Jane and thought it was best that it come from him anyway. Believing discretion to be the better part of valor, she went with the truth…to a point.

"Stable…his wife is with him right now, they expect him to recover but they have him in an induced coma, to help him heal." Maura's tone changed as she explained that last part and Jane knew instinctively what caused it. After the shooting with Bobby, she herself had been placed in a medically induced coma. She knew that time had been stressful for her family and Maura.

"That's good right?" Jane asked the question encouragingly hoping to alleviate some of Maura's tension.

"Yes Jane, that's good..." she wanted to let Jane know more but thought it would definitely be important to get Korsak over to explain as soon as possible.

"Hmmm..." eyes closed she kept talking, "how soon before they let me out of here do you think." Trying to push herself up, she pulled at the stitches in her shoulder, "Ow dammit!

"Jane stop it please, you'll be out of here soon enough, but not if you keep moving around like this and hurting yourself. It'll only prolong the stay in here, which is precisely what you don't want." she hated to chastise her but Jane truly was an awful patient.

"I know Maur I just wish they'd hurry...I want to talk with Korsak and find out where we're at with the investigation. Being in here kind of limits how much information I get." looking pointedly at Maura, she quickly looked away as Maura raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly are you implying, Jane?

"Nothing, Maura, I just know that there must be something going on with the investigation that I'm not being told about. It's not you, I know you wouldn't keep anything from me" the confidence in Jane's voice poked at Maura like a living thing. She had to tell Jane, but she didn't know how she would take not only the the news but also what was tantamount to a betrayal by not telling her right away.

"Maura what's wrong?" Jane could sense Maura's discomfort.

"Jane...Korsak had this idea of placing you and Dan in protective custody"

"No way!" Jane's sudden movement caused her to cry out in pain. "shit...shit!" grabbing at her shoulder she tried to breathe through it.

"Jane I told him you would never do it." reaching over she tried to keep Jane from aggravating her injury.

Through gritted teeth Jane glared at her, "I hear a but in there."

Sighing heavily Maura sat down, "You're right, there is a but, he's arranged for Dan to go into protective custody, but in order to try and draw out this Dominique person...it's going to be reported that Dan did not survive his injuries." rushing through the last part she waited for Jane's reaction.

"He's gonna be so pissed." thinking of Dan's reaction to Korsak she could think of nothing else to say. "He is truly going to be pissed we're killing him off." Jane's couldn't stop a throaty chuckle at the absurdity of it all. This was all like a god dammed soap opera, even she couldn't make this shit up.

"Okay, so what, are we supposed to have a funeral for him too?" the consternation in her voice made Maura blink.

"I believe that is the plan, as it were. I don't know all the specifics." Maura watched for signs of Jane's temper. "I do know Korsak has spoken to his wife, who agreed immediately."

"You weren't going to tell me, were you" Jane asked the question softly.

"I...no, I wasn't, Korsak was, but after your comment, it felt like a betrayal not telling you." Maura replied just softly. There was an understanding between them that went beyond friendship, there always had been. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay Maura, I understand, truly I do, but please, don't hide stuff from me, okay, especially if it has to do with Dominique." Jane's request did not fall on deaf ears, and it gave Maura the opening she needed to reiterate her own request.

"Don't hide anything from me either," raising a hand at Jane's objection, she continued, "I'm not going to ask you about what happened previously, you'll tell me when you're ready, but no secrets, please, I know you said you would do your best, but don't try to protect me Jane, that would hurt too much."

Jane considered Maura's words, "I told you Maura I can't promise anything, but I will try,"

Maura wasn't entirely sure if she was assured or not by those words, but decided it would be best just to accept what Jane had said for now. Maura knew a long tricky road was ahead, whatever might have been said here.

Frankie knocked on Cavanaugh's door and was called in. He was slightly surprised to find Korsak was already in there, but in some ways it was a help, because now he didn't have to give his report twice. Cavanaugh stood up from behind his desk and gestured that Frankie should take the only remaining seat, which he did quickly. Cavanaugh settled down in his own chair, raising his eyebrows as way of acknowledging Frankie, who saw it was an indication he should start. He pulled out the file that he'd arrived with off his lap and opened it.

"First, news you're not going to like." Frankie looked across at Korsak and then Cavanaugh, before taking a deep breath. "Williams is dead."

Korsak looked shocked, and glared across at Cavanaugh. "Now will you listen to me!" His comment was directed at his Lieutenant who didn't even flinch and if anything completely ignored Korsak's little outburst.

"Erm..." Frankie looked slightly nervous, not sure what was running between the two other men, but decided to plow on with his report. "They have it down as a drive by shooting, wrong place, wrong time kinda thing. All to do with this gang war that is kicking off at the moment to do with drug territory. With his rap sheet showing he'd been involved with drugs, they just put it down to old habits." Frankie stopped and pulled out a copied report he'd taken, and before he could give it to Cavanaugh, it was snatched out of his hands by Korsak.

"Drug war all seem a little too convenient to you Sean? This isn't just some gang turf war going on, something else has triggered it. Seems a little too coincidental that it began a week ago... only days after Dominique got out. What's the betting she's behind this all somehow, either because she wants back in the action, or to use it as cover to get to Williams."

"It's pure speculation at this point." was all Cavanaugh said, before nodding at Frankie to continue.

_Okay then, Korsak is definitely pissed at Cavanaugh _Frankie thought, wisely deciding to not say anything. He turned back to his file.

"It's been given low priority. It also looks like Crowe has been given lead on the case."

At those words Korsak shot a look across to Cavanaugh, who shook his head.

"Sean, you cannot let Crowe near this." Korsak's voice was low, and in a warning tone.

"Look, Vince. We're swamped out there. I've got one Detective in the hospital leaving us a man down, and we're in the middle of a mini gang war in case you've not noticed! I can't just pull Crowe off the case because of the past history between Williams and the Dominique situation."

"But what if this is connected to Dominique?" Korsak asked, barely holding back his anger.

"Then we'll deal with it, but until then, Crowe stays on the case. End of discussion. Rizzoli, what else you got?" Cavanaugh effectively dismissed any objections Korsak was about to raise by putting it back on Frankie, who shifted nervously in his seat.

"Not much." He admitted. "Maura's got the autopsy, which I'm assuming she'll do when she pops in after the hospital between visiting times. I was told by her assistant that's when they expect to see her at least. The only possible connection I've got are bullet fragments at the scene. They are too mangled to be compared with anything in the system, but they are all forty fives. Consistent with the bullets that hit Jane and Dan."

"But no definite match?" Cavanaugh queried before Korsak could jump in.

"Not yet. Unless Maura pulls something out of William's body that isn't too damaged to match with the one they pulled out of Dan, all we can say for sure is its the same caliber weapon in both shootings. Jane's bullet was a through and through, hitting concrete has left it useless to us."

"Forty five is Dominique's preferred weapon of choice." Korsak said, his voice almost vibrating in anger.

"Again, all circumstantial." Cavanaugh pointed out. He softened his stance just a little. "Look, Vince, I know you're worried about Dominique being out... I get that... but so far this isn't tying in as I'd like it to. I'll admit, the coincidences are beginning to pile up, and the more they do, the more I can see your point." Cavanaugh sighed. "I'm taking a risk whichever way I play this, because right now, there is not enough to show exactly what is going on. I've already told you, I'm allowing you free rein on trying to find Dominique, if she's in the city! If there is any indication she's not here, you're back to usual duties. Considering I'm short on numbers already, you're damned lucky to be getting this much, and if she isn't here... I've got some explaining to do as to why one of our most experienced Sergeants was concentrating solely on one case!"

"Well I'd hate to be the one to fuck up your reports to your superiors." Korsak stood up and walked out of the room without a backward glance, slamming the door as he went.

Cavanaugh sank back in his chair, while Frankie just looked a little wide eyed, not sure what he was supposed to do now.

"Get out of here kid. Stay with Korsak for now so he's got help on this."

Frankie couldn't get out of the room fast enough. _Man, Jane was gonna be so pissed when she found out what was going on._ He just hoped to god he wasn't there when she was being told!

"Jane please just lay still." Maura shook her head as she tried to keep her on the couch and not following her to the kitchen.

With an exasperated huff, Jane stayed put. "Maura all I've been doing is lying down, I'm tired of lying down." Shifting her herself on the couch she sat back a bit more comfortably smiling as Maura put a pillow just behind her injured shoulder for support. "thanks Maur."

Without comment, Maura picked up the remote on turned the television on to the news for her. Hoping it would keep her occupied for a bit, she handed it to before heading to the kitchen.

"Jane, a simple salad and steak okay for tonight?" Maura knew Jane never had much in her fridge but steak and salad besides her mother's Italian food was a staple for Jane.

"Huh?" focusing on the sports scores, Jane only half heard her, "yeah whatever is good."

Smiling at the woman finally relaxing on the couch, Maura quickly set about cooking the simple meal. She knew that once Jane was better, she would be neglecting herself and not eating or sleeping so while she could, Maura was going to make sure that Jane took care of herself.

"Fuck! It's done..." The expletive and change in Jane's tone brought Maura rushing out of the kitchen.

"What, what's done?" wiping her hands on a towel she followed Jane's gaze as she watched the breaking news.

"Boston Detective Dan Mateo has succumbed to his injuries after a drive by shooting yesterday that involved both himself and his former partner, decorated Detective Jane Rizzoli, Detective Mateo is survived by his wife and two minor children. Detective Mateo is expected to be buried with full honors. The Boston Police Department reports that they have no suspects at this time."

Jane looked at Maura, her eyes filled with a coldness that sent a shiver through the M.E.

**Not to worry folks, updates are expected to be a bit quicker but of course a lot depends on you, so remember, more reviews =quicker updates**

**Don't forget to check out SSA-rtune's solo R & I piece Heart of Gold, it's a great read!**


	7. Chapter 7  Rest in Peace

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune**

**Thanks for the wonderful reviews and alerts, glad to see you all enjoying this story, so without further ado…**

"Dammit Korsak I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Cavanaugh adjusted his dress blues and waited for the procession to finish travelling to the grave site. This had to be one of Korsak's crazier ideas but the least he could do was indulge him in it since without evidence he couldn't do anything else. If Korsak was right, then it was very likely that Dominique would make a move against Rizzoli here. If he was wrong; well then he got a full time detective back working on homicide cases like he needed.

As asked, Cavanaugh hadn't told Crowe or any of the other Homicide detectives what was going on. The only other folks privy to what was going on were his Captain and the Commissioner's Office. Neither of whom believed that Dominique was anywhere near the area. Cavanaugh smiled as he realized that while Korsak never had any juice with the brass, he didn't need it, he had their respect. Cavanaugh was surprised he'd got told about it at all once he was brought in, and was shocked just how much Korsak had managed to get done without his permission or help, and while he had chewed Korsak out over going behind his back, he couldn't help but admire the balls Korsak had shown taking the steps he had. Vince Korsak did have a lot of people's admiration and while he'd never admit it, that included Cavanaugh.

As the procession slowed, he watched Dan's wife exit the first vehicle. She did not want the children involved in any way, so she was alone when she exited. Korsak walked up to her and extended the crook of his elbow for her to put her hand through. Obliging, she turned back to see the hearse pull up with the casket and the tears that ran weren't difficult to find as she felt the events of the shooting and what they had almost lost hit home. To anyone looking in, her reaction would be seen as being totally genuine.

It had been three days since the news announcement and Maura had her hands full with Jane. She had been beyond angry to hear about it on the news and not from Korsak himself and Maura had seriously considered calling the police when Jane had pounced on Korsak later that day, but for her injury restricting the fact she couldn't inflict any real damage on her former partner. Maura was also carrying the burden that, despite promising to tell Jane everything, she had gone in after talking to Korsak to do an autopsy on Williams. It hadn't helped the investigation at all, but Korsak had asked that Maura not report the incident to Jane, much to her annoyance, but once she'd seen the reaction Jane had over just knowing about Dan's funeral, Maura had complied.

It wasn't that Maura didn't wish to see how Jane would react to knowing Williams was dead, but rather that they had nothing to help with the investigation on his death despite her best attempts and those of Korsak and it was how Jane might have reacted when being told they effectively had nothing to report that had been the reason Maura had acquiesced. Now, Maura felt she had completely destroyed any trust she and Jane shared, and it was eating at her, like acid would chew away at metal. Slowly but surely taking it's own toll, adding to an already nerve racking situation. Maura felt that Jane was slipping away from her, little by little, and carrying this burden of knowledge was already becoming a drain on her she hadn't expected.

This whole set of circumstances had thrown Jane for a loop. Her professional life was finally back on track, and now this. The stress of hearing about Dominique, the shooting, and now this ruse were taking its energy out of her. She hated the tension that had been created between her and Maura. But Maura had promised to keep her informed, she needed to know what was going on and she hadn't. That betrayal cut deeper than she ever thought it would. It had been completely accidental, but she'd heard Frankie talking in hushed tones to Maura the other day, and Jane was still trying to process what she'd overheard. One part of her wanted to believe she had misheard or misunderstood, but she knew... deep down Jane knew... Maura was keeping secrets.

Logically, Jane knew she was doing the exact same thing, but it still cut her to the core knowing Maura was now doing the same. Dominique; she had once more inserted herself in to Jane's life and was already breaking apart the bonds Jane had with those closest to her, just as it had happened before, ripping her life's fabric apart, thread by solitary thread. Secrets, lies... it was all there again and growing. Let alone anger Jane felt was brewing... like a volcano was building ready to erupt... only Jane knew, when she did blow, it would be in a direction that she might not be able to control... and that was also scaring her.

That first night once Korsak had left, Maura had made an attempt to talk to her and was faced with the same look she had gotten after hearing the news on the television. Maura had never been frightened of Jane, until now. This was a part of Jane she was unfamiliar with and to be quite honest she didn't know if she wanted to know this part, it was almost feral. She knew Jane was trying to reign herself in for her, Maura just didn't know how much longer she would be able to.

Adjusting her skirt she looked over at Jane, in her dress blues, arm still in a sling. The determined look on her face made Maura a bit nervous, but she also knew that there were security measures in place to insure that if Dominique did show, she would most certainly regret it.

Jane stared straight ahead and tried to keep her emotions under wraps. She was anxious, she could feel the threat of Dominique; it was everywhere, like an invisible set of tentacles, moving across to find her, ghosting against her body without permission and she hated it. Every memory, every feeling; good and bad from her time undercover had washed over her these past three days as they waited to set this trap in motion. She didn't care that she was setting herself up as a target. She was a target, regardless, and this afforded her a little bit of control back. The only thing she was concerned about was Maura. Even with the tension and secrets between them, she cared deeply for her and no matter how Jane asked, pleaded or demanded, the woman had refused to stay behind. Maura had insisted on accompanying Jane to the funeral and that, more than anything else had Jane on edge. She could take care of herself, but being responsible for Maura...glanced sidelong at her, she took a deep breath as she realized she didn't know what she would do if anything happened to her.

Jane got out of the car and opened the door for Maura. Maura's reassuring smile removed the scowl on Jane's face as they approached Dan's wife, Korsak and Cavanaugh.

"Rizzoli, how are you feeling?" shaking his hand with her left, she looked at her boss and at Korsak before answering.

"Been better, but then I've been worse too." leaving any sentiment unsaid, she approached Dan's wife and was quickly enveloped in a hug.

"How are you" Jane's husky voice was filled with emotion as she thought of how close they had come to this funeral being a reality.

"I'm good Jane, thank you." squeezing her hand tightly, she whispered, "for everything"

Jane's look of surprise at her words brought up unexpected emotions. She and Dan had been close, as close as partners could be without being involved. She had shared many a meal at the Mateo household and had been considered family by them. The idea that Dan could really have been killed by Dominique after the blood, sweat and tears that had been spilt in pursuing her was overwhelming in that moment. Squeezing back she smiled and took her place next to her as the casket was carried out of the vehicle. The procession of mourners continued to the grave-site and the assembled parties took a seat or stood as they waited for the priest to speak...

Jane sat next to the 'widow', with Maura standing behind her, as Korsak took a seat on the other side of her.

Korsak listened to the priest as he spoke about Dan and his family, watching as Jane visibly flinched when her name was mentioned by the priest as having been there for him in the past and the present as a good partner should. Maura's hand had moved to Jane's good shoulder, squeezing in support. Korsak watched as Jane's body relaxed somewhat. He worried about what this was doing to her. He knew she was still pissed at him for this whole affair but at the same time, he knew the cop in her believed this was the only way to go, to keep Dan safe and to flush Dominique out. Eyes scanning the mourners, he looked past them and saw the security that was in place, both in and out of uniform. He knew Dominique was out there, he could feel it. Looking over at Jane again, he was determined to keep her safe, and damn the consequences.

Jane sat very still, grateful for Maura's hand on her shoulder but angry at herself for needing it to be there. She felt torn, she hated who she had to become the last time she encountered Dominique. And now, she could feel herself coming apart, the secrets the emotions. Her family had paid a heavy price when she went undercover and now there was Maura to consider as well. Surprised by renewed pressure on her shoulder from Maura, she hadn't realized that the priest was calling her over to say a few words.

"Jane" Maura whispered in her ear. Nodding in response Jane stood up surprised at how unsteady she felt and angry for the weakness she had just exhibited. Walking herself up to the priest she looked out at the people gathered there for Dan and wondered briefly who would be at her funeral, before beginning to speak.

Maura watched the emotions that crossed Jane's face and frowned. She watched as Jane gripped the side of the podium as she spoke, knuckles turning white from the pressure Jane was obviously exerting. Hearing the tension in her voice, Maura waited until she was done before coming around and escorting her back to her seat.

"What the f..." Jane stopped walking and looked past the mourners in front of her.

"What Jane?" the concern in Maura's voice made Jane look at her.

"Tommy...dammit Korsak what the hell is Tommy doing here." hissing at Korsak Jane kept her eyes on her brother as he stood with the mourners.

"I don't know Jane, honest!" seeing the look in her eye he realized she didn't believe him. For his part, he was actually relieved to see Tommy. They hadn't been able to track him down and at least now he could see for himself that Dominique had not gotten to him yet either. Waving over to Frost, he motioned toward Tommy and watched as the other detective approached Jane's brother. Frost stayed with a visibly uncomfortable Tommy Rizzoli until the priest finished speaking. With the service over, mourners began to mill around Dan's wife while Jane, Maura and Korsak worked their way over to where Tommy was.

"Hey sis" a very subdued Tommy Rizzoli took in his sister's appearance and sighed heavily. He could tell by the way she held herself that she was in pain, with her right arm in a sling from what he knew was a gunshot wound and with the concussion he knew she was still recovering from he was surprised to see her at Dan's memorial service knowing she should be home resting. He had laid low, having heard from an old contact that Dominique was out for revenge, not sure how he could approach Jane about this all.

"Hey sis? That's all you have to say to me after...no, I can't do this right now," she took a deep breath to try and settle herself down, "Barry get him out of here. Dominique knows about Tommy too, he's not safe out here and I refuse to be responsible for him again." Glaring at her brother she felt all of the emotion she felt during her time undercover careen over her.

"Jane please, I came for Dan, I didn't know you'd be here, I mean...I'm happy to see you, that you're okay..."

"Stuff it Tommy, not now, later...we'll talk later." she ran her hand alongside her face, "Please Frost, get him out of here."

"Jane, I'm sure he didn't mean to cause any..." Maura stopped as Jane's glare cut through her.

"Don't Maura," she ground out, "you don't know what you're talking about," seeing the hurt look on Maura's face, she was immediately sorry.

"Frost take him please." Taking Maura's hand she led her to the podium, "Maura I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bite your head off, it's just.." Maura's raised hand silenced her.

"I can't begin to understand what you went through and until you tell me, I can't, but for now," standing a bit straighter she looked Jane in the eye, "I'm here for you Jane Rizzoli, we all are; I need you to not just understand that but to actually accept it and not dismiss it like you've done in the past." Without waiting for a reaction Maura took Jane's hand as she moved to lead her back to Korsak when Tommy's yell cut through them all.

"Jane down!"

All hell broke loose as the rifle shots rained down on them, bullets being spat out rapidly. Korsak and Frost pulled their sidearms out as the police detail monitoring the service for any sign of Dominique, moved toward the source of the shooting. Korsak's voice could be heard directing the detail, "two shooters, we have two shooters," realizing the shots were coming from two different directions, he looked desperately for Jane in the ensuing madness surrounding them.

At the yell from her brother, Jane had pushed Maura down, but not before one shot had come dangerously close to hitting her, striking the podium instead. Yelling out to Korsak and Frost she tried to determine what direction the shooting was coming from as the pandemonium only intensified around them.

"What the...Korsak! Frost!"

"Here Jane...stay down dammit" frustrated Korsak yelled at her to stay down as he realized she was trying to move toward him.

"Shit!" Jane ducked again banging her shoulder as another shot pinged off a headstone by her head, chipping off a fragment of the granite, causing it act almost like a ricochet. As suddenly as it started, the firing stopped. Carefully raising her head she called over to Korsak.

"Vince?"

"Here Jane, we're good. Frost, Tommy?" looking around, he saw them getting up cautiously.

"Maura...Maura?" Jane crawled over to her and realized she hadn't heard a sound from her since the shooting started. "Maura!" Her still form lay on the grass between the podium and a headstone the stillness in direct contrast to Jane's now frantic reaction. "Oh God...Vince! Help me..." Brushing the hair back that was covering her face she was relieved to see Maura was breathing, but couldn't tell where she was hurt. Cursing the fact that she was one handed, she ran her hand down Maura's back and sides checking for injuries, as Maura never stirred. Jane didn't realize the tears that were running down her face or that she kept muttering Maura's name.

"Jane...Janie, let me roll her over."

"No! What if..." she couldn't finish as she swallowed heavily, Frost and Tommy crouched next to them.

"Ambulance is on the way, anyone else hurt?" looking at his partner he answered his own question as he saw the wetness on the front of Jane's uniform. "Jane, you're bleeding." he reached over and was surprised when she smacked his hand away.

"I'm fine...leave it...Frost, leave it! Where the hell is the..." the sound of the ambulance siren in the cemetery was a little unnerving. Looking down at Maura, she continued to stroke her hair as she waited for the EMT's approach, she had never felt so helpless before "dammit Maura" tasting the tears rolling down her face, she sent up a prayer for this woman who meant so much; more than she ever thought possible.

Dominique had just pushed Jane's anger in to the stratosphere and god help anyone who now tried to stop Jane from tracking her down and stopping her, however she might have to do it.

**So, enjoyed it? I hope so…let us know what you think so far, all reviews and comments are welcome of course. More reviews=quicker updates, as always. Thanks guys!**


	8. Chapter 8  Aftermath

**A/N: co-written with SSA-rtune**

**A/N 2: Sorry for the delay, both of us had assorted medical issues going on, self and feline and we haven't been able to get back to it. But we're good now, I hope. I'm still sick but with SSA-rtune's encouragement and four days off, should get better.**

**Without further ado…**

"Don't you dare leave me. I promise you, I will make her pay for this..." Jane leaned forward and whispered in Maura's ear, before stepping back reluctantly as she was asked to move away so that the EMT's could begin their assessment of Maura and her injuries.

Watching as they rolled her over, Jane saw the gash and deep furrow along her hairline and the swelling beneath it. Maura never stirred as they moved her, put her on the backboard, and started getting her stats, asking questions of those in attendance.

"How long has she been unconscious?" looking from Jane to Korsak the EMT placed an oxygen mask over Maura's face as he waited for an answer.

Other sounds began to filter through, not least the quiet sobbing of some relatives and close friends of Dan, as shock began to seep in to the people who were not involved with the police, as they tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"At least ten minutes," Korsak looked at Jane worriedly as she didn't answer. Jane watched as the other EMT applied a bandage to the bleeding wound on Maura's head, where it looked like Maura was struck by a bullet. Closing her eyes against the sight she was grateful it appeared to be a graze, knowing full well what would have happened had that bullet found it's mark, but anxious at Maura's lack of response.

"She should be awake by now, why isn't she awake?" Jane's voice took on an urgent tone as the weight of had happened today settled on her shoulders.

"Janie she'll be okay." shrugging off her brother's hands she moved closer to Maura's prone form.

"Ma'am, please stay back, we're treating her and will be taking her to the hospital." Looking over at the other attendant, "let's get some oxygen on her, her breathing is a bit shallow, she's going into shock." Placing the mask over her face, Jane could tell by the fogging on the mask just how shallowly Maura was in fact breathing.

"Goddamit Vince! How? How did they get past security?" Jane's anxiety and frustration had reached new heights as Maura was wheeled to the ambulance.

"Ma'am, we have to go." The driver finished connecting Maura to the monitors in the ambulance and took his seat.

Jane turned to look at Korsak who winced visibly under her glare. "Get me some answers Vince, I mean it, I want this bitch and I want her now," glancing at Maura she swallowed heavily, "I'm gonna ride with Maura to the hospital, I need to make sure she's okay. Get me something...anything."

Jane nodded to Tommy as he helped her into the back of the ambulance. "Janie you're bleeding too..." seeing the look on her face he returned it glare for glare. "Don't give me that look...I care Jane, do you understand? I'm here to help, no matter the cost." He nodded to the driver as he closed the doors, "go, we'll follow you."

Sitting back in the ambulance Jane looked at Maura's still form connected to the monitors. Her blood pressure was low as was her respiration. She wanted to talk to her, hear her voice, make sure she was okay, but Dominique had robbed her of that for now. Putting a hand to her injured shoulder, she was surprised by the wetness and the pain radiating from there.

"_God, __when __did __everything __go __so __wrong?__" _ Not realizing she had closed her eyes, she was surprised when she felt pressure on her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see a concerned look in the EMT's eyes as he applied a gauze pad to her shoulder.

"May I?" he wanted to check the site of the bleeding but after seeing her previous response to the inquiries about her shoulder, he didn't want to get his head bitten off.

Nodding she swallowed and held her breath as he pulled her uniform shirt away from the gauze. Un-taping the old bandage, he checked the site and applied a new one. "Ma'am, you've erm...you've torn some stitches..." putting her hand over his she squeezed his hand tightly.

"I know, leave it, take care of her...please." She leaned over and took one of Maura's hands in her own. "Please Maura...I need you to be okay..."

**xxxxxxxxxxxx**

Korsak spoke briefly with Cavanaugh before turning back to Frost and Tommy. "I need you to go to the hospital, stay with Jane. Frost for God's sakes don't let her out of your sight." Looking at the younger Rizzoli he put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She'll come around Tommy, she's just …"

"I know Korsak, it was a rough time for all of us, I don't want Jane back in that space again any more than you do, but if Dominique is back..." leaving the rest unsaid, he was steadfast in his concern for his sister. "Frost, I'm going to the hospital with you." he walked off toward the car, leaving the young detective to hurry after him.

"Goddamit Dominique!" Korsak's yell resounded in the cemetery, making some of the stragglers who were still trying to work out what had happened look in his direction, confusion evident on faces.

Cavanaugh was already trying to sort out the media shit fest that he knew was about to hit as media vans had been present for the funeral of a decorated officer, and he was ordering uni's to stop them from running anything until they had a chance to review any footage they had, hoping it might give them some clues as to what had just occurred. Cavanaugh knew they couldn't prevent some of this, and that some of it would have gone out live, but he was praying they could contain something. He was also now desperately trying to marshall uni's to take statements from those who had been at the funeral and also to ensure that any of Dan's family were under protection from armed guards. Cavanaugh didn't want to be the one to have to tell Dan something happened to anyone close to him, and was thanking god that there had been no serious causalities. He also knew that he would be needing to give a report to his captain, and he wasn't looking forward to that meeting one bit. Once again, Jane and Vince had called a situation correctly. He hated that they had been proved right, not because it had showed he was wrong, but because he loathed the thought they were both now in serious danger.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Tommy fidgeted in the passenger seat in the car as Frost drove... and Frost couldn't help but look across.

"What's wrong?" Frost finally asked, sensing the rising tension the closer to the hospital they got.

"I don't think me being at the hospital right now is such a good idea after all, ya know." Tommy admitted finally.

Frost could tell the tension was to do with Tommy being around Jane, but knew better than to say as much. "I can't let you out of my sight." Frost finally said, "If Dominique is out there and responsible," Frost ignored the snort of derision from Tommy, "You do know you're going to be on her list for revenge, and whether you like it or not, you now have someone watching over you 24/7. Jane would kill me if I let you go now and anything happened to you, so you're coming."

"Yeah, as if she cared, she got me in this fucking mess in the first place." Tommy muttered under his breath, keeping his eyes firmly planted on the scenery, not wanting to look at Frost. He then sighed as they drew up in to the parking lot of the hospital and frowned as Frost got out, and then pointedly waited for Tommy to join him, scanning the area immediately around them, very aware of the possible danger they were now in and knowing Dominique could have easily followed them to the hospital. From what little Frost had been told, he knew Dominique wasn't one to be bothered if an attack happened in a hospital. Hell it struck Frost she would kill in a church if she had to. He shivered at the thought.

Jane was slumped in her chair picking at the freshly applied bandage on her shoulder. It had taken four additional stitches to repair the tear and it was starting to itch as the local anesthetic they had given her was starting to wear off, when she heard the door to the room where she was with Maura opening. She saw Frost poking his head in, and she managed to smile a little before motioning with her head to indicate he could join her. Her face hardened as Tommy followed Frost in.

Frost noticed the less than welcoming look Jane was giving Tommy, so quickly pointed to the bed where Maura was wanting to try and defuse the situation. "How is she?"

Jane shrugged. "They don't think it's too serious, and she should be coming around soon. They were worried about her because her body went in to shock, but they managed to stabilize her and they have done some scans, and thankfully there is no sign of anything too serious going on."

"That's good yeah." Tommy finally spoke, shifting nervously on his feet, hands pushed down in his jeans pockets.

"Like you care." Jane snapped and she closed her eyes the second she spoke up. She opened them slowly, "Sorry Tommy, you didn't deserve that."

"Too fucking right I didn't deserve that." Tommy replied angrily and he walked out of the room, slamming the door as he went. Jane shot up and ran out after him, and she reached out and grabbing him on the shoulder spun him around so he was now facing her only feet away from the door.

"Don't you fucking take that attitude with me." Jane ground the words out, her own anger now in full flight. "I said I was sorry, what the fuck else do you want from me?"

"What do I want?" Tommy's fists curled up as he fought the urge to punch Jane as the years of hurt about what had happened with Dominique was finally allowed to surface. "You fucking put me in this. If you hadn't been so fucking high and mighty, only worried about you and your fucking precious career, we wouldn't be here today with Maura in the hospital and my life in danger. I told you not to screw with me when this all started, and you knew all along you were doing just that! How the fuck does that make this all right for me? Tell me, how?"

"You don't know what you're talking about Tommy, this was bigger than just my decisions at that time and decisions were going to be taken that would have put you in this whatever I did. I never wanted to involve you... I know you don't believe this, but if I hadn't stepped in it would have been a damn sight worse for you..."

That was enough for Tommy to finally snap, and the next thing Jane was aware of was his fist connecting solidly with her jaw, sending her sprawling backwards on to her butt, sliding a short way on the floor, her momentum stopped as she hit the wall. She quickly scrambled to her feet and charged at Tommy, her own anger now so high she could only focus on him. He didn't manage to duck in time as her own fist on her good hand swung, connecting just as solidly as he has done, sending him back in to the wall.

Frost heard some thumping noises outside sounding as if someone hit the wall, and quickly opened the door, and was stopped for a second in his tracks at the sight of Jane and Tommy trading punches. Before he could do anything else, he heard something behind him, and turning could see Maura was finally coming around. He quickly moved and inserted himself between the two feuding siblings.

"I don't know what the fuck this is about, but Maura has just started to come around."

Hearing Frost's words were enough to stop Jane, who without another word stormed back in to Maura's room, taking a second to compose herself as she closed the door behind her. Maura was still very disoriented, and hadn't had chance to even realize Jane hadn't been in the room and was only vaguely aware as Jane approached the bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Jane asked softly as she gathered one of Maura's hands in to her own.

"What happened?" Maura managed to ask, her voice sounding slightly rough.

"Dominique happened," angry Jane tried to calm herself down, "God, I'm sorry Maura, she was after me and you got caught in the line of fire." she kissed her tenderly below the bandage on her head. "The doctor says you'll be okay, it was a solid graze and you definitely have a concussion, so they want to keep you overnight."

Nodding her head Maura winced at the pain that shot through and closed her eyes tightly against it, the tears that rolled down the side of her face making Jane feel even more guilty. Jane hated to be the cause of anyone's pain especially not Maura's.

"Shhh...don't cry..I'm sorry Maura...close your eyes, sleep, I'll be here when you wake up." Jane could only rub her thumb across Maura's knuckles and watch with relief as Maura drifted off to sleep, her own guilt mounting every single minute that went by and not sure how she was going to face Maura. Jane could only hope she would have her defenses in place once Maura woke up again because right now, she was feeling far too exposed and emotional.

**xxxxxxx**

Jane stood there, and carefully adjusted the safety glasses she was wearing ever so slightly. Some might have said it didn't make a difference, but for her, even a minuscule difference could mean life or death; she could testify to that by personal experience she would rather forget, but try as she might, couldn't. She pushed the clip of her glock up in to place, and smiled as she felt, rather than heard - because of the ear defenders - the familiar click as it slotted in to place. She pulled the chamber back, sighing as the first bullet was loaded. Ready for her to begin. All that she was focused on now was in front of her. The familiar weight of the weapon, the paper target, a set number of yards in front of here, all brought a calm that she hadn't felt in a while. This was who she was, and this was what she knew.

She brought her arms up, muscles bunching, veins along her arms showing as she tensed, although always mindful of needing to be relaxed at the same time. Firing a gun was an art. To know when to hold that tension, and when to release it. Without a second thought, she used her breathing pattern to dictate what she did next, and the finger was pressed against the trigger, sending the bullets out, the recoil expected and welcomed.

She reveled in the familiar routine of adjusting her stance by millimeters, checking her aim as each round was let off. Emptying the gun also helped her empty her thoughts of the anger, pain, fear and helplessness that had surrounded her of late. It was done without the interference of others, no matter how well meaning they were trying to be. Now all that mattered was her, the gun and target, as more cartridge cases fell down to her feet, collecting in an ever accumulating pile. Even the growing ache she felt in her shoulder, which was still recovering, didn't detract her from her mission to relieve some of the emotion she was feeling. Finally, even though, she knew it would only last as long as this session, she was able to forget about her guilt that had plagued her for too many years now. This was her time.

She hated the restlessness she was feeling and knew it was a dangerous road for her but it was four days after the shooting at the cemetery and Korsak still had nothing. She had hated leaving Maura alone, but she had made sure her mother was available to stay with her. Jane needed to clear her head and the range had always been a safe zone for her. It was one place where she always felt in control. Putting in another clip, she carefully took aim. Slowing her breathing down she went over everything in her head slowly and chronologically as she fired each round. They were missing something, she knew it, and she could feel it and she hoped by the time she was done here she could pinpoint it.

**Yes Jane is pissed off…'nuff said. Lots more excitement to come and this time, really, more reviews=quicker updates.**

**Thank you for your patience**


	9. Chapter 9 Revelations

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune. **

**Thank you for all the alerts, reviews, and favorites. Once again we apologize for the tardiness of our update, but life keeps slapping us around. When I duck my co-writer gets hit, and vice versa. So for your pleasure, a longer chapter than usual. Hope you all still enjoy this story….**

Maura smiled as Angela walked in from the guesthouse, and after making a coffee, they both settled down on the couch.

"How are you doing?" Angela asked, as Maura still had a small patch of gauze covering her head wound and some bruising around her face and cheek that was now beginning to wane, but was still very visible.

"Better." Maura admitted. "The nausea seems to have finally settled and the graze is now healing nicely. I expect to be back at work in a couple of days at the latest."

"How's Jane coping?" Angela had tried to talk to Jane once they had come back from the hospital, not having had chance there after Jane had insisted on staying the night at the hospital to watch over Maura, citing that Maura needed protection if Dominique had any inkling she and Jane were close friends. No one had even tried to argue with her.

"She's..." Maura hesitated, unsure how much she wanted to confide in Angela for no other reason than she didn't want Angela worrying about her daughter. Her argument was quickly dismantled when she reminded herself that right now, Maura didn't have anyone else to talk to.

"Maura?" Angela spoke softly, sensing the younger woman's uncertainty.

"I'm sorry Angela." Maura shot a reassuring smile towards Angela, before looking serious again. "I'll admit, I'm worried about Jane's current demeanour. She's become..."

"Withdrawn." Angela spoke up at Maura's hesitation with a look of sadness crossing her face.

"I'm sorry Angela, you asked that I didn't allow for this to happen, but try as I might, Jane simply won't talk to me and we've even had some arguments over it. Nothing big, but more than we've had for a very long time." Maura admitted, feeling as if she had failed not just Jane, but her promise to Angela to help.

Angela had a frail smile on her face as she clasped one of Maura's hands in her own. "Honey, we both know Jane. If she doesn't want to talk, wild horses couldn't tear it out of her. I don't expect you to break through those walls. The only thing I ask is you don't abandon hope, keep chipping away and don't give up on her."

Maura looked horrified. "I could never abandon Jane."

"I thought the same, but it's pretty much exactly what I did last time around." Angela admitted with a grimace. "She pushed me away, and I let her. I know you feel she is pushing you away... all I'm saying is, no matter how hard she pushes, don't ever let her push so hard you walk away."

Maura nodded her understanding. "I could never do that."

Angela gave Maura a weak smile. "I was the same, and how wrong I was. Learn from my mistake. I'm saying this because I need you to be prepared, because if you think Jane is cutting you off now, you're going to be shocked as to how much she is going to push you away in any way she can. I know you're going to find this hard to believe, but if it means using emotional barbs that hit right in the heart, she'll do it. She'll do it because she has this misguided belief that by pushing everyone away, she can protect them."

"Like she did around people with Hoyt." Maura murmured as she allowed Angela's words to settle and the implications become clear.

"Exactly like that, only on another level again." Angela wiped an errant tear away. "I know I've told you this, but Dominique got to Jane like no-one ever has. Sure she was scared of Hoyt, possibly the most scared she has ever been in her life, but Dominique, she scared Jane in a completely different way. It was a deeper, more bone chilling way. The undercover assignment didn't help because Jane had to be so reliant on herself, and had it only been for a couple of months, maybe it wouldn't have had the same effect, but two years..." Angela's resolve finally broke and she began crying. "My little girl went through two years of torture and I didn't know and now that bitch is back and I still don't know how to help her." Angela finally sobbed the last few words barely audible.

Maura sat as she held Angela, both lost in their own thoughts about the way Jane was heading. After a short while, Angela settled back on the couch, sniffling a little, but a lot more composed.

"What should I do?" Maura asked softly.

"Don't take any of her crap," Angela replied firmly. "I know it's not in your nature, but you're both headstrong women..." Angela smiled at the look of surprise Maura gave her. "Maura, you're both professional women who have worked hard to get where you are. That takes a certain amount of hardheadedness. Jane will use that against you, so fight back. Don't be afraid to fight fire with fire where Jane is concerned even if it means throwing something at her that you know is going to hurt."

"I don't know if I can be that sort of person." Maura admitted as the implications began to sink in.

Angela lightly patted the back of Maura's hand in a reassuring gesture. "You already are where you need to be, at least at work. Think like that now, and Jane won't be able to fully pull away from you. Stand your ground. Push back, just like you do at work when you know you're right and Jane's being her usual stubborn ass self."

"I wish I had the confidence you seem to be displaying in me." Maura confessed with a slight grimace.

Angela sat there, debating whether to say something more, and decided it was now the time to speak up. "Maura, when you love someone as deeply as you love Jane, you'll do anything to protect them. I was once told that if your love for your husband is true, that if you were faced with the choice of saving them or your children, they would come first without hesitation. As much as I loved Frank, I never quite had that, my children always came first and still do. My mother on the other hand, Jane's Nonna, she loved my father with every beat of her heart and as much as she loved me, I know she would have taken that choice if she was ever required to. You and my Jane... you have that."

"I'm not Jane's husband." Maura spluttered, feeling the heat as the blush rose up her neck.

"I'm not saying you are..." Angela replied with a careful look and a slight chuckle, as she held Maura's hand. "You are though the love of her life, just as she is yours." Angela then watched as she allowed time for the words to sink in, and watched the shock and surprise cross Maura's features.

"Ian..." Maura began to protest, before Angela cut her short.

"Is not the love of your life." Angela said firmly. "If he was, you would either be in Africa with him, or he would be here with you. He is an infatuation, someone whose ideals make you love him, but that's a long way from being in love..."

Maura looked across at Angela wide eyed. "Oh my..."

Angela patted Maura's hand again as she stood up slowly. "I'm going back to the guesthouse, call me if you need anything. I think you need some time to think about all this."

Maura could only nod mutely, as Angela disappeared through the door, her thoughts a jumbled mess.

"I'm in love with Jane."

The words were barely a whisper as the impact of them hit.

Jane stood outside Maura's house and wondered if she should even bother going in at all. She was feeling out of sorts after the range and after being unable to get in touch with Korsak for an update, she had left him a message. Thinking of the woman waiting for her inside the house she felt the familiar pain in her chest at what had almost happened at the cemetery and how close she had come to losing her.

The impact of that hadn't truly hit her until she sat with Maura overnight at the hospital. She had watched her breathing, her chest rising and falling as she slept with the aid of the medication they had given her, once they had been happy she wasn't going to drift in to a coma on them. Jane had refused every one's attempts to get her to leave, she just couldn't, she couldn't leave her unprotected, she couldn't leave her. She would die before she let anything happen to her. The tears she had cried that night had been cleansing, it had just been her and Maura. Her frustration and anger at Tommy for even being there, knowing he was a target and still opening himself up to be shot at and not trusting her or Korsak to place him in protective custody. Jane felt angry at Cavanaugh for not believing them about Dominique and her murderous intentions, at Dominique for bringing Jane back to the personal hell she had lived in for two years. Through the tears and thoughts and the anger, one theme had carried throughout, she had almost lost Maura.

Jane had been trying for days to reconcile the emotions that had been coursing through her since the shooting. The strongest one being what she was feeling for Maura. She was her best friend but she was starting to think that somewhere, somehow, her feelings had changed, they'd deepened and that was dangerous. If Dominique ever found out about Maura... Jane knew she was in a tailspin of emotion, again.

Dominique had to be stopped before anyone else got hurt but first Jane needed to speak with Maura. She couldn't stay with her anymore. Being close to Jane was hazardous to everyone, especially anyone she loved and just as she did when she went undercover she steeled her heart against feeling, for anything or anyone until Dominique was brought down, even Maura.

"Maura?" Stepping in hesitantly she was surprised to find Maura sitting quietly in the living room with just the soft glow of a lamp illuminating her face. She watched her as an expression of profound sadness crossed her face and immediately regretted seeing it, knowing that she was the cause. She was always the cause.

"Jane? Hi..." Maura was feeling infinitely better than she had in the past couple of days but the heaviness in her chest had nothing to do with her injury as much as it had to do with the realization of how she felt for Jane and where they went from here.

Taking a deep breath, Jane moved into the room and took a seat on the couch next to Maura.

She could sense that Jane had something to say to her and Maura could only guess by the look on her face that she wasn't going to like it.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Jane, really...did you have fun at the range? How is your shoulder?" Watching as Jane flexed it she saw the grimace as her movement caused her pain. Maura knew her firing a gun for two hours hadn't helped, but she wasn't about to point that fact out when Jane had that look on her face.

"My shoulder? It's fine Maur, look, erm...I'm going to go back to my apartment. I mean you have Ma next door and Frost and Korsak are making sure there is an officer outside, so you don't really need me here." swallowing uncomfortably under Maura's gaze, she continued, "I'm better now and I'll be going back to work tomorrow so... and you're due back any day..."

"No" the simple word hung in the air between them as Maura declared her intentions with one word.

"Wait, what?" surprised at her response, Jane looked at Maura and the steely determination she saw in her face made her pause. She knew. Jane didn't know how, but she could tell... Maura knew what she was trying to do.

"Maura look..."

"No Jane, you look..." taking a deep breath she dove in, "for the past few days you have been wonderful, attentive, the best friend a person could ask for, but you've also been growing distant and withdrawn. You're pulling away from me and I think I know why." Waving her hand at Jane's attempt to explain, she continued, "you think that by distancing yourself from me, from your family that somehow you're going to keep us safe, you're wrong...you're wrong Jane." Not giving Jane a chance to reply, Maura carried on pushing, "this situation isn't the same as when you were undercover before."

"Maura it is the same, Dominique is the same." flustered Jane didn't want to hear the caring in her voice, "I can't afford to have to worry about you or anybody else, I have to worry about me!" Throwing out the selfish comment she saw Maura flinch at her words and pushed on.

"I don't want to take care of you okay? That's not my job. You're a friend right? So be a friend and respect my wishes. I'm leaving...you don't need me here and I...I don't want to be here anymore. I mean I can't even get any privacy here, I mean with you here, my mother next door, come on, really?" Knowing she was raising her voice, she tried to ratchet herself back down and found she couldn't. Seeing Maura's face as she responded to her words were hurting her physically.

This was so much harder than before.

Lowering her voice a bit, she stood up and paced the room, "If I'm busy trying to make sure everyone else is okay, Dominique wins. She can't win Maura..she just can't..." throwing herself into the chair across the room she put her head in her hands.

Maura watched as Jane broke down, the silent sobs were so unlike Jane, she almost didn't know how to react. Walking over to her she knelt down in front of her, pulling her hands away from her face.

"Look at me Jane...look at me...I'm not leaving you to do this alone, do you understand. I won't press you about what happened when you were undercover but eventually you're going to have to tell someone..." tilting her chin up she forced Jane to look at her, "let me be that someone, please."

"I can't Maura, I...you don't understand, Dominique, she was cruel Maura. To her enemies and her 'friends'. If she found an emotional attachment, she went after it. It made her feel good to have the power she did." Jane closed her eyes trying desperately to forget the things Dominique did, the things she had made Jane do, while she was undercover all to prove her loyalty. She had never told anyone what Dominique had asked of her.

From the moment she realized that Tommy was Jane's brother she had gone out of her way to use that to control Jane. Tommy never knew why Jane appeared to relish beating up on customers or why Jane was the one to enforce Dominique's edicts instead of Tommy. It had been something she and Tommy argued over. He hated that she had changed so much after being kicked off the force, but she hadn't had a choice. Dominique's conversation with Jane had been quite clear. She was to follow without question or her brother died. Jane hadn't quite believed what she was capable of until Jane had refused to hurt a store owner she and her brother had gone to see. Tommy had been mugged the next evening and beaten unconscious. Jane had known then it was Dominique and hadn't refused her again.

During those two years undercover Dominique had taken a part of Jane's soul with every act.

Even the reassurances from Dan and Korsak throughout that time hadn't been enough to offset the damage to her family, her reputation, her psyche. In the end they hadn't been able to protect her from the snickers and the comments from others on the force. They hadn't had to prove themselves to anyone, she had. All their words, their support, it had all been bullshit because in the end the only one she had been able to count on had been herself. Their words had placed her in situations that otherwise she would have walked away from, and now, she just resented what they had made her feel... guilt and total obligation to the overall operation, and today Jane knew she should have walked away when she had the chance. She hated that she hadn't been strong enough to do that. She hated that she had been young, naive and totally brainwashed to do this for her career, to do this for her city and country.

Sure they had taken Dominique down in the end, but at what cost. She was out now and out for blood, hers. Jane now knew she'd been even more naive to believe that once Dominique was jailed, she could forget the problems it had caused and move on, because it was all coming back to haunt her only this time with a force that was ten times greater, because this time Jane knew what Dominique was capable of.

Jane looked at Maura kneeling down in front of her and saw understanding and more. Somewhere, somehow their relationship had shifted and now she had a choice to make. Did she tell Maura why she was so scared for her more than for herself. Could she tell her that she thought she loved her and that she had to leave or risk losing her. Jane felt the whisper of admittance that if anyone would understand, it would be Maura. Yet, to admit would be to place Maura in even greater danger and also having to face what she had done because if she was to do this, Jane knew Maura deserved to know the whole truth, not just edited highlights. "_Am I strong enough to do that? Will it damage our friendship forever?_" Jane asked the question of herself and felt the internal battle raging even more.

Dominique paced angrily in front of the man who had just brought her the latest update on Jane. She had now survived two attempts by Dominique to be rid of her once and for all. "_The woman had nine lives,"_ she thought. "Puta! Why is she still alive?" Stopping she looked at the young man and smiled at the fear she smelled on him.

"I asked you a question..." she said softly and this made him shiver even more in fear. Her anger was always at its most intense when she showed this side of her personality.

"I..I don't know...we haven't been able to get position on her, both times she was distracted enough to avoid a kill shot... but we should be able to..." he continued to stammer excuses as she glared at him.

"Basta!" grabbing him by the front of his shirt she rammed him up against the wall. She had always been strong, doing all she could to offset her size, and prison had given her ample opportunity to continue to build that strength.

Pulling her knife out of her pocket she flicked him in the neck just below the ear, earning a smooth trickle of blood down his shirt.

"Find her, trail her, tell me what she does and who she is with. I want to know who she is close to, I want to know who she cares about. If we can't get to her, I will make sure she comes to me, willingly." Slamming him harder against the wall for emphasis, "entiendes?"

"Si Dominique, I understand, it will be done. I swear, should I...?" clearing his throat he tried to keep his fear at bay seeing the murderous rage simmering behind her eyes. "Should I get in touch with our contact on the inside?" He wouldn't do it without her say so. He knew better.

Letting him go, she turned, wiping her blade on her pants, "yes, but just for information, nothing more...not yet." Turning back to him she watched as he wiped the blood from his neck, "Go! get me what I asked for, I want to know who Jane Rizzoli is now and who she loves."

Dominique had a smile that crossed her face, knowing that Jane Rizzoli had a major Achilles heel, and if she was a betting woman, she would place all her money on the fact that the detective would still protect those around her, even if it meant sacrificing herself in the process.

**Well? What did you think? WE won't know till you tell us so…you know the drill folks, more reviews = quicker updates, plus they let us know what you think.**

**Thank you to my co-writer SSA-rtune…we keep each other on task and have a heck of a laugh along the way. Check out her R & I story Heart of Gold it's a great read!**


	10. Chapter 10  Beyond Friendship

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune**

**Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed or just plain read this story. Hope you're still enjoying, so without further ado…**

Maura watched the emotions that played across Jane's face, and waited. She sagged in to the seat as Jane suddenly stood up and moved away, a hand running through her hair. Jane turned back on her heels, looking at Maura carefully as she made the decision in her head.

"I know you don't agree, but I'm leaving to go back to my apartment." Without another word, Jane moved towards the guest bedroom, and in the time it took for Maura to process what was happening, and followed Jane, she'd already pulled a bag out and had some clothes stuffed haphazardly in it.

Maura stood in the doorway as Jane deliberately ignored her presence, concentrating instead on picking up what she would need, knowing some items would be left here, since she always now kept some clothes at Maura's. Finally, she was satisfied with what she had collected, and closed the bag up, finally looking back up to Maura who hadn't moved. "What?" Jane finally asked as she felt as if Maura was looking right in to her soul.

"So you want me to stand by, for all of us to stand back and watch you spiral out of control." Maura's words were said with a ferociousness that surprised even her. Jane stood there for a second, stunned. That was quickly replaced by anger.

"So now you're doing what? Somehow you are now psychologically analysing me? Turning this around on to me? As if it's my fault? Well fuck you!" As Jane spoke she sent a glare in Maura's direction that would have others crumbling. Maura simply held her ground.

"No, I'm trying to show you that your actions have consequences Jane, and they aren't just yours to deal with. There are other people involved, whether you like it or not. Whether you try and shield us or not. If there is anything you should have learnt from Hoyt, is that no matter how well you tried to keep others at bay, he got to you through those closest to you anyway. Dominique is the same, she'll get to you via us if she so wishes, whatever you do." Maura moved, but only enough to now stand firmly in the doorway, affording no chance for Jane to get past her without pushing her out of the way, and Maura honestly had no idea if Jane would go so far as to physically push her. Before Dominique arrived on the scene, Maura would have said not; now she genuinely had no idea.

"So now I'm the big bad wolf and you're all Snow fucking White?" Jane picked the bag up, and slung it over her good shoulder, not letting the pain from her other shoulder the movement generated, show.

"Oh for goodness sake." Maura huffed, frowning. "That's not what I said, nor is your response at all constructive and you know it."

"I'll tell you what's not constructive... you having the fucking nerve to even bring Hoyt into this. To use my past like that. I did what I could... I..." Jane finally began to lose composure and was fighting back the tears. "Dammit, I have to protect you." Jane then did push past Maura who wisely allowed herself to be moved with the minimal of pressure, Jane not even glancing back, unable to trust herself if she did. Jane then walked out of the house, before throwing the bag on the back seat of the cruiser she was driving, and only allowed herself one glance up, seeing Maura standing in the front door, tears running down her face. Jane swallowed hard, pushed the key in the ignition, started the engine and was peeling out of the driveway avoiding Maura's face and tears.

Korsak looked up from his desk surprised to see Jane approaching him. She held up a hand before he could even formulate the question. "Yes, I know, I'm not supposed to be here, but I want to know what's happening Vince!"

Korsak dipped his head to the side to indicate Jane should sit down on the chair alongside his desk, which she did, looking tense. "Later that same day!" Jane rolled her eyes, and it earned her a slight shake of the head from Korsak.

"Patience isn't one of your stronger points." Korsak said, pushed away from his desk slightly. "No Doc?" He then asked as he realized that Jane was alone.

"Nope." Jane replied, and her attitude made it perfectly clear that was as much of an answer he was going to get. Looking slightly surprised, Korsak nodded slightly. "You do know..."

"If Cavanaugh catches me trying to get in on the case, my ass is grass. For god's sake Vince, I know!" Jane didn't hide her exasperation. "I'm coming back tomorrow anyway, got medical clearance earlier and went to the range, shrink clearance in the morning, which is going to be no problem. So since I'm going to be back and put straight on other shit by Cavanaugh with the usual bullshit of can't work the case, too close, blah fucking blah... are you going to give me something now before I come in tomorrow so I'm not sneaking around trying to get it from you then or what?" seeing the look on his face, she relented slightly, "So what you got?"

"Not much to be honest." Korsak admitted with a sigh. "We've got nothing on the shooters. We've worked out their positions from the bullet trajectories, but damned if anyone saw them and no trace evidence from where they were, not even a damned footprint we could use. Either they blended in, or were so well hidden they weren't spotted. The cameras that we had going were on the crowd, not the outside perimeter since they felt no-one would be able to penetrate the SWAT team surrounding us at the time."

"How Vince? For fucks sake that place was supposed to be locked down by SWAT tighter than a duck's ass. No-one else should have been there... unless..."

Korsak knew what Jane was implying. "Yeah, I know. Unless it was some kind of inside job. Shit, Dominique got documentation changed for her release. We don't know who she's got in her pocket these days. She's obviously got contacts, we just have no idea how deep her claws extend this time around. We're already behind on this one and it's not helping. I've talked to some old contacts, and some of Dan's newer ones. No-one's heard a thing. Whatever she's doing, its not using anything from our time involved with her that I can find and if people do know something, she's got them scared enough to not talk. I can't work out which it is, or if it's a mixture of both."

"So, we trust no-one." Jane said with a frown. "Even Frost."

"Oh come on Janie..." Korsak said with a frown of his own. "I know the kid's not been here as long, but c'mon, you can trust him."

"Can we?" Jane asked carefully. "I would hate for me to be right on this and my gut says he's not in on it, but think about it... we have no real idea who might be the leak. It could be someone at the prison, the court house or the precinct. I know it sounds nuts, but we both know the sort of lengths that bitch will go to. What if she's found something on Frost? Some kind of weakness... she won't hesitate to use it. Do we know if he is strong enough to fight back if she does have something on him?"

"Nah, I don't believe he'd allow himself to be used like that or that she could find something on him to use. Frost's too straight up, he'd come to Cavanaugh or one of us. I know he's still a rookie with some things, but don't let her get you paranoid Jane." Korsak warned, his voice low.

"I'm not!" Jane stood up with a scowl. "God what is with everyone at the moment. This woman is fucking dangerous, and we can't trust anyone Vince. That's not paranoia but simple fact. Screw this, I'm going home." and before Korsak could say any more, she was striding out of the bullpen, slamming the door behind her as she went.

"Well, that could have gone better." Korsak muttered to himself as he hauled his chair back towards the desk.

Jane threw her bag down the minute she entered her apartment. She walked over to the dummy that Korsak and Frost had bought her, and even without tape on her hands, she threw a couple of punches at it, grimacing as her shoulder pulled with the movement. She then sighed heavily as she walked away, feeling only marginally better for letting off some steam. She walked around and threw open the fridge door, and her head fell back as she realized it was empty apart from some very sour looking milk and orange juice she doubted she'd trust now.

"A shopping trip it is then." Jane mumbled to herself, suddenly wishing she'd had the foresight to bring Jo Friday back with her, the apartment now too quiet and empty for her liking. She turned around and was shocked to find Maura standing in the doorway.

"Jesus Christ, are you trying to get yourself shot!" Jane declared, her hand having moved to her hip and had already begun to pull her gun from it's holster before it had registered it was Maura standing there.

"You gave me the key to let myself in." Maura said with a look that she tried to keep as neutral as possible. "I came because Vince called, thinking you were with me. Imagine his surprise to find out you'd only just been to see him, and hadn't told him you were moving back in to your apartment. Imagine my surprise increase when he also told me you were going back to work tomorrow."

"Why the surprise? So he could put a protective detail on my ass." Jane said, pushing her gun back down in the holster with a shake of her head. "And what in the hell does it matter when I go back to work? You knew it was going to be soon."

"Soon and the next day aren't the same thing at all Jane." Maura allowed some of her exasperation to creep in.

"Christ always one to split hairs. It doesn't matter Maura... if not tomorrow, it was going to be a couple of days at the most." Jane moved and pulled her purse up off the counter top where she'd put it down. "And now, if you don't mind, I've got to go and get some shopping." Without waiting for a reply, Jane stormed out of the apartment, not even bothering to close the door. "You can close the door on your way out." Jane shouted over her shoulder as she strode down the hall.

Looking around Jane's apartment, Maura couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes. Angela had been right and Jane was pulling out the stops to distance herself from Maura not just physically but emotionally. The anger that Jane was exhibiting against her hurt, deeply, even knowing that she probably didn't mean it, but doubt lingered in her mind. She had never been good dealing with emotions and even knowing cognitively what to expect from Jane thanks to Angela and Korsak, it still hurt. She had never known Jane to be so hurtful, ever.

This was going to be harder than she thought but she was determined to be there for Jane. Reminding herself, she had no intention of letting Jane go it alone like she did the first time she went up against Dominique.

Wiping at the tears running down her cheeks she walked over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, wrinkling her nose at the smell that assailed her. "No wonder Jane had gone shopping," Maura muttered, tossing the spoiled milk and orange juice she wiped down the fridge.

That started, she kept going, tidying up in the living room and wiping down the counters until she took a seat at the counter and put the rag down. Pulling her cell phone out of her purse she started dialing Jane's number but stopped herself before connecting the call. She didn't know if calling her was the right thing or not but she couldn't leave things the way they were. She could push all she wanted but Maura knew how to push too.

Putting her phone back she gathered up her things wondering if she would ever be able to let Jane know how she felt about her, fighting the feelings right back down almost as soon as she had allowed them to surface. This was hardly the time or the place to even be considering such flights of fancy. Right now, Jane's life was in danger, and Maura had enough emotional baggage to deal with coping with Jane's mood.

"You're still here."

"Jane!" startled, Maura dropped her bag spilling its contents on the floor."Oh..." dropping onto her knees she started trying to pick her things up when Jane put her grocery bags on the counter and dropped down next to her.

"Here, let me help" Jane's gruff voice held a hint of a smile as she watched Maura get over her surprise at being caught still at Jane's and then promptly dropping everything on the floor.

"Thanks" the companionable silence was a nice change from their previous arguing and Jane's ill-tempered words.

Extending a hand, Jane helped Maura up and held onto her hand. Maura watched as Jane appeared to struggle with what to say to her.

"Maura...I'm sorry" Jane's quiet words were full of emotion and Maura knew what it cost her to say it. Without another word she pulled Jane into her arms, Jane's arms easily wrapping around her as well. They held each other for a few minutes before it became apparent to them both just how intimate the embrace was. Pushing away from her Maura turned to leave but was stopped by Jane's grip on her arm.

"Maura?" Jane's husky voice had a tenor Maura didn't recognize in her.

"Jane, I don't...mmph" Jane's lips smashed against hers before she was pulled back into her arms. Her hesitation was momentary as she realized in that instant that Jane felt the same way she did.

Returning the kiss tenfold she felt her body respond to Jane's kiss _and_ her touch as she felt Jane's hand travel down her back and pull her in even closer.

Jane didn't know what she was doing, "_this was crazy" _she thought, but it felt so right and she needed it. She hadn't realized how much until she had walked in with her groceries to find Maura still there. Maura would never leave her, no matter how badly she treated her and it scared her to death, and Jane felt exhilarated all at the same time. With Maura, her emotions were tossed around, like flotsam gets flung around at sea. Dominique would kill to know how Jane felt about Maura and here she was confirming it, instead of pushing her away. All Jane's instincts were screaming at her to step back, to keep Maura safe, but right now, she couldn't stop her body's reaction.

Pulling her in closer she let herself explore her lips, her tongue and as quickly as it started she pulled away and buried her face in Maura's neck.

"I'm sorry Maura...I shouldn't have...shit!" pushing her away she dug into one of the grocery bags and pulled out a beer.

Maura stood there silently, her body trembling from its reaction to Jane's touch. She could see how distressed Jane was at her actions and watching as she downed her beer she worried if there wasn't regret there as well.

Tentatively she moved over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Jane?"

Head down Jane looked at the now empty beer bottle and listened to the question in Maura's voice, she said so much with just one word.

"Maura I'm sorry, that was wrong, I was wrong...I mean...crap why is this so hard..."

Taking a deep breath Jane started to speak, quietly at first and then more urgently. She was grateful that Maura never interrupted her or asked any questions. When she was done, she grew quiet, fearful now for Maura's response. Jane had never told anyone what she had told Maura, at the time she had been scared and embarrassed, emotions she had never been comfortable sharing with anyone, but this was Maura.

Maura tried to absorb what Jane had just told her. She knew by the way that Jane had spoken that she had never told anyone.

"That's why you've been pushing me away?"

"Maura, she wanted more than for me to just work for her, don't you understand? That's why she tried to take out Dan first. When we went undercover it was as a couple. We didn't keep that up too long, cos it was too much to be together for two years, so for show, we split but still worked and lived together, but in her mind he had been able to get something she couldn't...me." Jane turned around and faced her, "I can't let her know what you mean to me don't you see?"

"Jane no, I don't see. How is pushing me away going to..." the sound of Jane's beer bottle smashing against the wall shocked her into silence.

"Don't you get it Maura?" Jane's voice was rising with every word, "She'll come after you if she knows about you and she'll make sure I know why she did it." Chest heaving she stared at Maura before she headed for her training bag and started whaling on it. Jane felt like she was going to explode at the thought of Dominique getting her hands on Maura... Pounding the bag even harder she kept going despite the pain in her shoulder. It was only when she felt the burn in her hand that she fell against the bag exhausted.

Maura walked up to her tentatively and taking her by the shoulders, led her to the couch. Going into the bathroom she brought out a wet washcloth and antiseptic. As she sat down next to her, she picked up Jane's left hand and turned it over. Dabbing at her split knuckles, she wiped the blood away gently before applying the antiseptic. Jane's hiss as she applied it made Maura meet Jane's eyes.

"I understand you want to keep me safe, but can you trust that I'm not going to let you go through this alone? Let me help you Jane. Let your friends help you."

"I just want to keep you safe Maura" Jane's whispered words spilled out as freely as the tears now running down her face.

Kissing her gently on the lips she acknowledged her, "I know Jane" she continued her ministrations as Jane sat there pensively and watched her.

"_They had a lot to talk about" _Maura thought, knowing that Jane hadn't even begun to tell Maura some of what happened to her while undercover. To suspect that Jane had secrets she hadn't told anyone from that period was one thing, to hear of one such event was quite another. If there was ever a time to reaffirm Maura's need to be strong for Jane, this was it.

* * *

><p>"Well?" Dominique looked up from the laptop she was working on as he came in.<p>

"She has a...erm...best friend, ma'am." Santos did not want to give her this information. He had worked with Dominique for years and had met and become friends with Jane Rizzoli when she worked with them. He was the only other person who knew what had happened between them.

"A best friend? Another boyfriend?" She sneered.

"No Jefa, a woman, the medical examiner, Dr Maura Isles." He waited for the explosion he knew was coming.

"Una mujer?" Slamming the laptop closed she stood up. "Jane Rizzoli doesn't _have _female friends..." glaring at him she demanded answers. "Is it more than friendship?"

He hesitated, he didn't know for sure, not yet, but they did stay with each other. Drawing himself up before his employer, "We don't know Jefa." at the look in her eyes he put up his hands, "I'll find out immediately." Leaving her to her anger, he left before she asked more questions he didn't have the answers to.

"You have a female friend Jane...you told me you don't HAVE female friends!" Throwing a lamp across the room, she sat back down at the desk and opened up her laptop again, "I'll just have to find out more about your Dr. Isles."

**Now you all know I love my crazies…how far will Dominique go? Dunno…we'll see. As always, reviews are beautifully wrapped gifts for us so please let us know what you think.**

**REVIEW, please…**

**Next to be updated will be Random Targets and Fear…see you next update**


	11. Chapter 11 Blown up in their faces

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune**

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, favs, alerts and darn it just to everyone who is enjoying a good read. Glad you're enjoying it so far….**

**Without further ado…**

Just as the silence was beginning to stretch between Maura and Jane a little too much, the ringing of both their cell phones broke it.

"Rizzoli." "Isles."

Both women simultaneously picked up, each with a frown as the information was relayed to them. Without hesitation, they began to gather what they needed before heading out, and finally they got in to their respective cars, both taking a deep breath, wondering what was about to greet them. It wasn't until they began to pull in to traffic that Jane suddenly realized they had just done the whole routine without a word to each other, such was the sheer magnitude of the news they had received. Jane could only hope it wasn't as bad as the report sounded, but she knew... if she was being called in as well, that was a forlorn hope.

As she parked up at the crime scene, she felt a heavy weight settle in her chest. This was far worse than she had even imagined and she clenched her jaw tightly. She watched Maura also get out of her car, and walk immediately across to the already set up incident area. Jane closed her car door slowly, before making her way to the same place. Yep, she knew... her day just got a lot more complicated.

Jane slumped down on the chair, just trying to give herself a minutes rest. She was still surprised that Cavanaugh had given her the lead on this investigation. She could only assume it was to keep her so busy she wouldn't even try to find out about the Dominique investigation; although what use that was at the moment, since everyone was being pulled off their own cases on a temporary basis while this was going on, including Frost and Korsak.

Right now, she was so tired, her thoughts were a complete mess. She was even struggling to work out how long she'd been a detective, and if anyone had asked her how long she'd been on the force, there was no way she could give an answer to that. Hell, she doubted she could have even given her age to someone if she needed to.

Learning to shut out crime scenes, to make them less personal was something Jane tried to do, and many times succeeded. You also had to ensure that you didn't become too impersonal. It was a delicate balance to strike, and that's what helped make Jane so good at her job, because she had that proportioned in just a way that made her an excellent detective.

Occasionally though something would get past the walls and knock her equilibrium right out of sync, and today was one of those occasions and having been on her feet for almost forty eight hours; literally on her feet, it was not helping her cause one iota. Add to that, the burden of knowing Dominique was around, and Jane was completely exhausted, physically and mentally.

While she could protect and serve, just occasionally she had to duck out – and she was ducking out right now, and god help anyone who tried to talk to her, let alone get her out of the funk she was currently in. Frost and Korsak had both tried, and both felt they had been lucky to come away with their balls still intact.

God help anyone... but of course, that meant anyone other than Maura, who walked in to the office and seeing Jane, just sat down on the chair alongside the desk, and initially didn't say anything.

Of course, Maura had been at the scene as well and had witnessed first hand what Jane and others had, and in many ways would continue to witness the horror of the event, long after Jane had moved on to other avenues of investigation because she had yet to complete all of the autopsies, of which there were far too many. Enough for Maura to have drafted in additional M.E.'s from surrounding areas to help, which they had been all too willing to do, knowing the circumstances. After a few minutes of silence, Jane, who had moved to rest her head on her desk, lifted her head enough to peer sideways through her hair.

"Ready to go home?" Maura asked once she spotted Jane was not just looking at her, but also giving her attention.

"Yes." Jane replied with a look that only those close to her knew meant it was furthest from the truth.

"Liar." Maura decided to call her on it.

Jane leaned back in her chair, and pulled her hands through her hair, shifting it so it ran across the back of her shoulders, no longer floating down her front so she could use it like a curtain to keep the world at bay. Maura stood up, and positioned herself behind Jane, and without invitation, moved some of the long dark locks away from her neck and began to rub Jane's shoulders through her clothes, wishing she could give her a proper massage, but was grateful Jane was allowing her this much.

"You need to relax. Finally sitting at your desk does not constitute relaxing or resting enough to allow your body to recoup from the work you've just put in." Maura said as she pushed with her thumbs in to an area she could tell was extremely tense.

"I guess Frost or Korsak called you." Jane kept the anger at the thought of their intrusion out of her voice... barely.

"You would be correct in that assumption, yes." Maura admitted, knowing that Jane would be running on empty right about now making her unpredictable with her moods, and so she had to proceed with caution.

"Maura, I've got no time for this." Jane tried to protest, weakly, trying not to lean in to the comforting touch.

"If you are not going home to rest, you need to talk about this." Maura kept her voice level, even though she wanted to chastise the detective for being so stubborn.

"I'll go talk to the department shrink."

Maura and Jane both knew she would never do such a thing and the sarcasm wasn't lost on Maura.

"You could always talk to me." Maura then offered, still kneading out the knots in Jane's shoulders mindful of her recent injury.

"We talk about work all the time." Jane countered, swallowing a groan as Maura hit a particularly tender spot, not wanting to show any weakness.

"Indeed we do, however there are times when you need to talk about more than work, about how it affects you when it gets in past your defences." Maura didn't even want to approach the situation regarding Dominique in to the conversation, plus hey hadn't spoken about what had transpired between them two days ago. So, for now, she was carrying on as if they were talking about it like they would under normal circumstances. Or at least as normal as this case could ever be.

"So I can become your patient Doctor Isles. I didn't know psychology was on your list of qualifications?" Jane knew what Maura was doing, and decided for now to play along. Although Jane was teasing, there was a note of hardness in her voice as she spoke, as though she resented Maura and it took all of Maura's strength to not feel hurt knowing Jane was reacting to the past couple of days, not just the previous situation with Dominique. Maura knew that had made her slightly more sensitive than she would have otherwise been, and that it also wasn't fair to Jane to place her own problems at Jane's feet. Now it was as important a time as any to keep them separate, for both their sakes.

"I've told you before, I'd listen as a friend." Maura moved away and sat back on the chair she'd vacated earlier, trying to gauge Jane's mood by her facial expressions.

Jane though shut down the second some other people walked in to the office, and she moved her chair closer to her desk before giving Maura a pointed look, her mask of indifference firmly back in place.

"Don't you need to be somewhere?"

"Of course, but remember what I've just said, the offer still stands." Maura deliberately kept her voice low as she stood up, resting a hand lightly on Jane's shoulder before turning away and walking out towards the morgue. While Maura had received a lot of help, many M.E's were in the process of going back to their own areas, having at least got through the most urgent autopsies, and Maura didn't want to be away for too long, since she still had a lot to do.

"Argh." Jane almost shouted once Maura was out of earshot.

"Problem Rizzoli?" Crowe walked in to the room as Maura left and headed over towards her with a smirk.

"Yeah, you!" Jane stood up and pulled on her jacket.

"Wrong time of the month again I see. What'll I tell Cavanaugh when he comes looking for you?"

"Whatever you want, you usually do anyway." Jane threw a look of disgust at Crowe over her shoulder, before hitting the stairs, not even bothering to wait for the elevator. She needed fresh air as quickly as possible.

"Isles." Maura answered her phone, stopping herself from putting on a fresh pair of gloves for the next autopsy she had to perform.

"Have you talked?" Korsak sounded worried.

"We have." Maura took a deep breath, unsure what to say.

"And?" Korsak sounded impatient as his own tiredness was seeping in to his voice, even though he had forced himself to rest before he had gone back out to the scene.

"You were right to be concerned." Maura conceded, leaning back against one of the cold metal tables that no longer housed a body. "She isn't resting at all, but won't accept she needs to step back a little."

"God dammit." Korsak seemed to be talking to himself more than Maura at that point.

"I don't know what else to suggest at this time." Maura confessed, feeling somewhat helpless.

"Then we're both out of our depth on this one." Korsak also admitted, running a hand across the back of his neck nervously. "Shit, I've gotta go – Jane's just reappeared at the scene."

"What? Wait..." Maura was cut off by the dial tone, and she stared at the phone for a second before making a decision. Pulling off her gown, she called across to her assistant.

"Please could you call Doctor Pike back in to continue with the autopsies, I need to go back out to the scene."

"Of course." James, her one assistant didn't look or sound surprised by the request. He knew his boss was meticulous about how she went about her work, and just thought she needed to go back to find out something she might have missed previously.

Without a backward glance, Maura changed out of her black scrubs, made her way to her car, and was quickly back at the scene of the earlier attack. She soon spotted Frost on the edge of the crime scene tape.

"Doc." Frost looked up from his clipboard where he was checking out some notes given to him by a uniform on scene, surprised to see her standing there.

"Where is she?"

Nodding in a direction, Frost didn't need telling who Maura was seeking out. "Over near the entrance. What's left of it anyway."

As Maura approached she could hear one of the crime scene technicians talking to Jane.

"I think I've found another piece of the bomb..."

Jane was moving in to take a closer look, when she felt a prickling sensation. She turned around slowly, and wasn't surprised to see Maura bearing down towards her. While the doctor might not be as tall as Jane, there were times when her presence simply towered over everyone else. This was one of those occasions. Tamping down the thought, Jane quickly turned back to the technician.

"Bag it, and when you think you've got everything, let me know, not the pricks in suits... they should have picked this up, and didn't... they can wait."

"Sure. Looks like your hunch was right and it's more than one device." The crime technician tried to keep the hero worship they had for Jane out of their voice, but it didn't go unnoticed by Maura, who inwardly had to smile, knowing Jane was completely oblivious to the signs.

Jane didn't feel any pleasure in knowing her thoughts were likely to be confirmed and turned her attention back towards Maura, who was now almost level with her.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Jane asked, moving away from the carnage that the bombing had left behind, stripping her hands of the latex gloves she had on.

Maura hesitated, as the horror of what was in front of them sunk in a second time. How at least one bomb had ripped through the shopping mall, taking out entire families. Friends who were simply shopping, eating, meeting up with others to enjoy time out, only to have it ripped away from them in seconds. When they had first arrived, injured people were intermingled with bodies and in some instances body parts and it was a very chaotic scene. Now, while there was no doubt some smaller remains would be discovered in the rubble, it was mostly the smell that assaulted the senses, equally as putrid. Burnt flesh, mixed with smoke was not pleasant, and something that took an age to clear, even with the fresh air swirling around, let alone how it lingered on your skin and clothes even after numerous attempts to wash it away would fail.

As they had sifted through the wreckage the first time, they had also come across personal items. A teddy bear, a purse, a watch. All items that had once belonged to someone who would, for whatever reason, never be the same again. It was hard not to think about the personal stories these things could reveal. While the chaos had receded, and a strange peace had fallen over the site, it sent shivers down spines, and even Maura had to admit, she wasn't immune to the feelings it had generated. Despite having worked some gruesome scenes before, she knew, it had been the hardest crime scene in Maura Isle's career to date.

"Maura, you still with me?"

Jane's voice brought Maura back to the reason she had returned to the scene.

"Yes, I'm fine." Maura answered, looking closely at Jane, concern now heightened at the appearance of the detective in front of her. Since leaving the precinct, Jane seemed to have sunk back deeper in to herself.

"So I can see." Jane sounded impatient. "What can we do for you?"

"You can come with me." Maura straightened up and grabbed Jane's elbow, earning her an incredulous look

"Seriously? What the hell Maur..." Jane ripped her elbow out of Maura's grasp trying not to flinch as it pulled on her still healing shoulder. Having not been able to do the exercises for her physical therapy due to time constraints, plus the tiredness of her body the shoulder was giving Jane more trouble than she was prepared to admit for fear of being taken off the case. The last thing she wanted was Maura picking up on the trouble it was giving her.

"Everyone has taken a few hours to try and rest, even if they can't sleep." Maura moved back in, and snatched Jane's elbow again, only this time, she held on tighter. "Everyone that is, except you."

"Yeah, because we have a case to solve, ya know!" Jane argued back, but not fighting Maura as she was pulled towards Maura's car, in part because the shoulder pain was making it impossible for her to react.

"I've got..." Jane wasn't able to finish her sentence as Maura interrupted her quickly, knowing just what objection Jane was about to raise.

"You're too tired to drive safely. Frost is equally as capable at being able to drive your car back and I know he has a set of his own keys. I will text him so he knows you're with me and he can take it back to the precinct." Maura by now had opened the passenger door and was literally pushing Jane down in to the seat.

"Jesus woman, bossy much?" Jane muttered, but didn't try and get out, so Maura pushed the door closed, making sure she didn't catch Jane, who was squirming around in the seat in the process. Happy that the door was firmly fastened, Maura walked back around to the drivers seat, and getting in didn't say anything more as she put her seat belt on, checked Jane was fastened in, before she started the engine and pulled away.

"ATF in their new guise as homeland security are crawling all over this now and we're just puppets to them." Jane suddenly spoke up, and for the first time since this whole case had begun, her voice cracked slightly with emotion.

"That's expected Jane, they do after all deal with acts of arson and bombings. The minute we ruled this wasn't accidental they would have been notified." Maura replied, her whole stance now softening.

"I know, but it still sucks." Jane sounded more and more defeated, earning her a worried glance from Maura. "It still makes it feel as if we can't do our jobs."

"You know that isn't true. You are an excellent detective and I know you'll manage to investigate this just as you've always done. ATF are brought in as procedure, not as a reflection of your abilities."

"The kids Maura. Why does it always have to be kids who get caught up in something like this? That baby... her sister..." Jane's voice faltered and she rubbed both hands across her face, and for the first time was fighting back the tears. "Do we even know how many people?"

Unconsciously, Maura had moved her right hand, resting it on Jane's left knee knowing there was nothing she could say to assuage the hurt and devastation Jane was feeling right now, that physical contact was about all she could offer.

"You need rest." Maura said, ignoring the question asked about numbers killed, since she didn't think Jane was ready to hear the figures that she had helped assemble, as she pulled up in front of her own house, before leading the now non-resistant Jane out of the car and into her guest bedroom.

"If I need rest, so do you." Jane argued, as she fell back on to the mattress before wriggling her head up to rest on the pillows, not even bothering to try and pull her boots off, even though in the back of her mind, she was telling herself how much Maura hated it when she did that. Let alone her own nose wrinkling at the smell that was following her around, and in the back of her mind, Jane hoped it wouldn't transfer on to Maura's pristine bedding. She glanced down, and was pleased to see there wasn't any obvious dirt on her boots to mark anything, but she still felt wrong about them being on the bed. Despite knowing that, she just couldn't summon up the energy to do anything about it.

"Which is why we are both going to try and rest." Maura answer brought Jane out of her thoughts, as she unexpectedly moved and lay down alongside Jane, linking their hands and then fingers together. Jane didn't look across at her, but just stared up to the ceiling.

"I'm still wearing my boots." Jane suddenly said, earning a slight smile from her bed companion.

"I know you are, and considering the circumstances, you're forgiven." Came back Maura's answer, earning her a sideways look.

"I'm honored." Jane spoke softly, with a flash of a grin gracing her face.

"This is a pass you only get to use once. Don't get used to it." Maura said, tightening her fingers around Jane's, as she felt Jane tense up again.

"You could always take them off for me."

"I could, but I won't."

Time moved on, without either speaking, but Maura listened carefully. After what seemed like an age, Maura risked looking across to her left, and was pleased to see Jane had finally succumbed to exhaustion and was obviously sleeping. Moving her free hand, Maura gently pushed a strand of Jane's hair from across her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. She then lent in with a light kiss on the newly exposed cheek.

"Sleep. You'll feel better for it." Maura whispered as she pulled away, and lay back down on her own pillow, and closing her eyes, she didn't even think of the fact she was still in a dress as she allowed herself to also be pulled into her own, equally needed slumber.

**So SSA-rtune and I would love to know what you think of these new developments…no really we would, so, please review as particularly in this case more reviews=quicker updates.**

**Also, check out SSA-rtune's other RandI fics, Heart of Gold and Love's Labours Lost-excellent reads.**

**Me? I'll be wrapping up Foolish Promise in a chapter or two and onto my collab with Whitebordeaux and our fic A Loving Vengeful Heart…**

**Well, what are you waiting for? Review Review Review**


	12. Chapter 12  I Can't

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune.**

**Both of us would like to thank you for all the favs, alerts, and reviews. Yes, the action is picking up and yes Dominique will soon be making an appearance….**

"Ugh, god dammit." Jane woke and immediately felt disorientated. She knew it was her cell going off, but try as she might, she just couldn't work out where she had left it. The ringing stopped, having obviously gone automatically to voice mail. However, the peace didn't last long as the ringing almost immediately set up again. This time, Jane had been awake long enough to actually crack open her eyes and look for it properly. It was then she spotted it, along with her badge and gun on the night stand. _When did I put those there?_ Jane was so tired she couldn't even remember doing it when they had first arrived.

"Rizzoli." Her voice sounded far rougher than usual, the latest events and lack of sleep still taking it's toll. Listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, she grimaced. "I'll be there as soon as possible." She then threw her phone down on the bed in frustration, and watched as it bounced up off the mattress and skittered off hitting the floor hard.

"Son of a bitch." Jane launched from the bed scrambling after the phone, praying it hadn't been damaged in any way. Walking into the room with two mugs of coffee at that same moment, Maura couldn't help the laugh that erupted at the sight of Jane on all fours, trying to get her phone back out from underneath the bed where it had finally landed.

"Not funny Maura." Jane growled, cheek pressed firmly to the floor to keep an eye on what she was doing, as her fingertips just grazed the side of the phone. With care, she was able to coax it towards her, and eventually was able to pick it up properly.

Setting her face to a more serious expression, but almost failing, Maura moved further in to the room. "I thought you might want a coffee."

"Is the pope catholic?" Jane reached out, taking the coffee and without thinking, gulped down a mouthful, trying not to react to the burning sensation that the freshly made coffee sent down her throat. "And don't answer that, it was rhetorical." Jane then quickly added, once she saw Maura was about to say something to her comment about the pope.

"Oh, fine." Maura perched on the side of the bed, sipping her own coffee, already changed from her previous outfit and looking washed and refreshed.

"What time is it anyway?" Jane was trying to drink her coffee as quickly as possible, while trying to smooth out her clothing, before turning her attention then to her hair, which was now truly a mass of tangles.

"A little after 6." Maura moved and handed Jane a brush, which she took with a grateful look.

"Dammit, Maur..." Jane whined. "You should have woken me ages ago."

"No, I shouldn't have." Maura didn't look at all perturbed by Jane's complaining. "As it is, you've only slept for five hours, which considering the situation is nowhere near enough. I would have let you to sleep longer had it not been for the phone call you received. What was that about by the way?"

"Possible suspect on surveillance footage who has been identified, we're going to bring them in and have a little chat. I'm meeting Frost and Korsak at the station."

"You don't look very happy." Maura was surprised considering the development. A strong suspect usually had Jane looking and sounding much more energized.

"Seriously? Maur, if this is them, they planted bombs and took out whole families..." Jane sighed as she finished her coffee. "And somehow I've gotta get in their head."

"Not literally I hope." Maura stood up now understanding Jane's lack of reaction and plucked the empty mug out of Jane's hands.

"Really?" Jane's eyebrows shot up unsure if Maura had been joking or serious with her comment, and she shook her head. "Listen, I've gotta get out of here, can you drive me, since you made me leave my car at the scene." Jane didn't wait for an answer as she strode out of the bedroom, heading to the front door, only stopping to pop in the bathroom to give her now full bladder relief.

"Of course, just let me put these down." Maura followed, and quickly put the mugs on the kitchen counter and gathered her purse and coat, before moving to the front door where Jane was waiting impatiently having had the quickest toilet stop Maura had ever witnessed. Maura debated asking if Jane had even washed her hands, but seeing the look on the detective's face, decided it was not a question that was going to be met with anything other than derision so didn't say anything.

"You should have let me bring my car." Jane complained as she bolted through the door and was in Maura's car the second she sprung the locks open.

"And have you wind up on my autopsy table because you crashed it because you were too tired. I don't think so." Maura sensing the urgency in Jane's body language didn't waste time in pulling out of her driveway and into the Boston traffic.

"Jesus, over dramatic much." Jane pulled at her jacket, frowning as she spotted a stain on her shirt, and it dawned on her she hadn't changed in over two days. She wondered if she had a change of clothes in her locker at work, and prayed she had. She couldn't remember if she'd replaced the ones she'd had to use the last time she needed to change at work after a suspect had unceremoniously thrown up all over her.

"I certainly don't think I'm being over dramatic." Maura sounded upset at Jane's comment, causing Jane to swivel around in her seat and look at her with surprise.

"I was joking Maur..." Jane said softly, trying to ease the tension that had crept in around them.

"I don't happen to find it very funny." Maura replied keeping her eye's firmly on the road, not wanting Jane to see her moment of vulnerability when it came to the detective sitting alongside her.

Jane watched Maura intently, slightly shaken by the way her friend was behaving. It wasn't as if they hadn't had similar conversations in the past. Hell, Jane would be the first to admit that Maura got past her defences on a regular basis, often knowing when Jane needed to slow down, rest or take time away. This though, this was different and while Jane could tell it was, she really didn't know why, or how to approach it. She decided for now to leave it be, and revisit it later if she had to. She turned back around in her seat and looked ahead, watching the Boston traffic as they crawled along towards the precinct. Jane began to wonder just how much Dominique was effecting them both and whether that was the explanation? _Dammit I need to get my head straight _Jane thought with a sigh.

"I'm sorry," Jane said quietly, and out of the corner of her eye was rewarded when she spotted Maura's shoulders dropping and relaxing, albeit only a small amount. "I didn't realize."

"Thank you." Maura acknowledged the apology, and the rest of the journey was done in silence, although at least with less tension floating around.

Jane bounded out of the car the second Maura pulled up in the parking garage. She managed to stop her natural instinct to rush off to work, and waited until Maura got out of the car as well, smiling as she watched Maura gathering her belongings together. Maura smiled when she saw Jane's face as she looked across the roof of the car, depressing the key fob to lock the doors. Seeing the lights flick on and off to show the car was locked, she moved around to join Jane, and they walked with purpose towards the elevator.

"I'll see what else Doctor Pike might have come up with and continue with any autopsy's that haven't been completed yet although we're close to completion and its mostly down to paperwork and results like DNA to come back. If there is anything there that might be of help, I'll make sure you get it immediately." Maura faltered as she thought about the DNA, needed where bodies had been torn apart making any other form of identification impossible. While she took comfort that science could help give grieving families answers, this whole situation was still shocking for her.

"That'll be great." Jane watched as the elevator doors opened, and she sprung inside, before twisting around while Maura joined her, missing the moment of weakness that Maura had displayed. Without needing to be asked, Jane hit the buttons to her own floor, but also for Maura's floor number in the lower part of the building that would take her to the morgue. Because the parking garage was only one floor below the morgue, it would mean Maura would be getting off first. Jane swivelled around on the balls of her feet and fixed a look at her friend. "Look, I'm really sorry about earlier." Jane could still sense something was bothering Maura, and wanted to be absolutely sure that her earlier apology was meant.

Maura turned her head with a smile of her own. "I know." and as if to re-enforce that, Maura placed a light handed touch on Jane's arm that was nearest to her before watching as the floor number for the morgue appeared on the display. Within seconds, the elevator dinged, to signal it's arrival and Maura began to leave once the doors opened. Stopping only briefly, in a position to stop the doors from closing on them, Maura turned back to look at Jane. "Go get them. Do your gumshoe thing!" was all she said as she moved out, and watched as Jane's smile grew wider, her shoulder's straightened and her hands were shoved in pockets. All signs that made Maura's heart jump a little, and she couldn't help her own smile, as she knew Jane was now ready to face whatever the rest of the day would throw in their direction.

Jane walked towards her desk, and noticed Frost was sitting at his. Korsak was nowhere to be seen. Seeing Jane arrive, Frost stood up and walked over.

"Where's Korsak?" Jane asked not bothering to sit down.

"Interview room 2." Frost replied, before handing over a slim file. "Here's the information on our suspect.

Jane sat down and began to read, knowing she would have to know all she could before entering the interview room.

"Korsak said to join him once you've read it all." Frost didn't wait for acknowledgement of his comment, and moved back to his own desk. "I'm going through their laptop right now to see if I can find something."

Jane looked up just enough to show Frost she'd heard him, before picking up reading where she had left off. She tried to school her features to not show any emotion as she read, knowing she needed to be on the top of her game if this was their perp, and reading the file, she was convinced they had the right guy.

"Sick son of a bitch ain't he." Frost spoke up when he noticed Jane had finished reading, and had pushed her chair a little way back from her desk.

"Yeah." Jane replied, and Frost could tell she was in full detective mode, going through the information she had, picking out relevant pieces as she needed. "You find anything yet?" Jane then asked.

"Not yet, but I've still got a lot to get through. This is one big drive attached to the laptop. Two terabytes on an external hard drive of information to get through."

"Yeah, I know exactly what that means." Jane said in her usual sarcastic tone, as she stood up. "Let us know if you get anything."

"Sure thing." Frost grinned as he watched her leaving, undoubtedly heading towards the interview room. He finally felt as he and Jane were partners, having worked out their own balance, that while completely different to what Korsak and Jane had shared, worked in its own way.

Without bothering to knock, Jane barrelled in to the interview room. Korsak stood up from the chair he had been occupying with a smirk on his face, and he turned to the person sitting across the table from him. "You think I'm a hard ass." Korsak said with a hint of pleasure in his voice. "Let me introduce you to someone who makes me look soft."

Without needing further words or introductions other than Jane quickly giving her name and shield number for the purposes of the interview tape and time she joined the interview, Jane lent down and in to the face of the person whose file she had recently been reading. She twisted her head slightly, to give the impression she was looking at them intently, while true to some degree, was also a tactic she was using to see if she could get a rise out of the suspect. She noticed he initially seemed surprised to see her, then worried about her being in the room. It looked like they had something they could work on.

She stepped back slightly after a few minutes perusing their suspect, and turned to Korsak. "Can't see it myself. Too soft to even do something like this. It's one thing to write a blog boasting about how they plan to plant bombs, another to have the conviction to carry it out. They don't have the nerve."

The suspect jumped out of their seat, and was only stopped getting across the table because they were cuffed to a solid bar that was part of the wall behind them. Showing no surprise at the movement, Jane turned back and looked him straight in the eye. "Want to say something?" Jane said, in a sickly sweet voice, agitating the suspect further.

"I did it." The teenager they had hauled in only a couple of hours before screamed. His adam's apple barely defined, bobbled up and down as he swallowed hard. "I planted those bombs."

Jane looked at him, and glared. "So convince me. Explain to me how you did it." Jane said slowly and watching as he sat back down in his chair.

"I planted three devices. One at the main entrance, one in McDonalds and one in shoe shop further down. I can't remember it's name."

Korsak nodded at Jane, showing he would go and check to see if they had further information about the bombing that would collaborate the version of events that were being given. So far, Jane knew, in her gut, this was right and they had the sick bastard. Jane took the opportunity to sit down opposite the boy, and fixed her eye's on his.

"You had better not be shitting with us." Jane said in a low warning voice.

"I'm not." He answered, looking more confident as the minutes ticked by. "I'm telling you the truth."

"Okay, so where did you make the devices?" Jane asked, knowing the search on the parents home where he had been arrested had come up clean.

"One of the abandoned houses a couple of blocks from my parents house."

"I'll need more information than that. I need an actual address." Jane said calmly, trying not to let the images of the victims of the crime seep in to her head.

"Give me a pen and paper, I don't know the exact address, but I can draw which house it is on the block."

Jane got up and giving out information the interview was temporarily suspended for the benefit of the cameras, left the room to pick up a pen and paper. She met Korsak who was on his way back to her just before she re-entered the room.

"Frost has found stuff on the computer." Korsak said, sounding satisfied they had all they needed to nail the boy for the bombings. "Whole load of information on chemicals that match the signature of the bombs found. I've also spoken with the crime lab, and they are telling me the location of the bombs matches what we've been given."

Jane shook her head in part relief, part disgust. "What makes a sixteen year old kid want to do something like this?"

"Hell if I know." Korsak said with a shake of his own head. "Let's go nail this sucker."

Maura had heard through murmurings of some of her assistants that a teenager had been charged with the bombing and murder of all the victims, as well as attempted murder on those who survived. While it gave her some satisfaction to know they had caught the perpetrator so quickly, Maura also found it hard to understand how someone so young could cause such atrocity. She looked back at her computer, and with a few more keystrokes, finished up her report for the night aware it was now the wrong side of midnight. She gathered her things together, before heading up to the homicide division, hoping she would catch Jane before she left for home.

Korsak looked up from the report he was filling out as part of the arrest when he heard the distinct noise of Maura's high heels on the floor of the office. Maura returned his smile as she approached his desk.

"Jane's not here." Korsak said before she had a chance to say anything to him.

Maura laughed lightly at his comment. "What makes you think I'm here for Jane?"

"Doc, as much as I think you are one classy lady, and it would boost my ego no end, you would never be here to see me or Frost unless it's case related. I couldn't even imagine you wanting to see Crowe. Let's face it, you only come up here once you've finished work to see Jane."

Looking a little startled at the words from Korsak, Maura tried to hide the surprise by looking around the room, seeing they were the only two there. "I'm not sure whether to be afraid or flattered you know my intentions for being here so well." Maura then said carefully choosing her words. "and you're right, I was hoping to catch Jane. Do you know where I might find her?"

Korsak looked thoughtful for a minute, as it dawned on him he didn't actually know where Jane was. "To be honest, I don't." he admitted with a slight frown. "She's here in the building somewhere as far as I know. I don't think she's left."

"Oh okay." Maura kept the worry she was feeling from her face as she turned to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Maura quickly walked through the corridors of the precinct, unsure where she might find Jane. She had initially headed down to the morgue, and found it was now empty. Turning on her heels, Maura had checked the ladies rest rooms on two floors, and was about to investigate her third. It was one that was a little off the busy corridor, down a tiny side corridor of it's own, with other doors only leading to supply cupboards. As she pushed the door open, she sensed, rather than heard or saw Jane's presence in the room. Without wanting to surprise Jane, Maura walked in and lent back against the door, so no-one else could enter without pushing against her first. She watched in concern as Jane kept her back to Maura, even though it was apparent from the tightening of her shoulder's and a quick glance up to the mirror above the wash basins that Maura almost missed, Jane knew she was there.

After a few minutes of silence, Jane looked up and used the mirror to look towards Maura, who stayed where she was for now. "Not a good time Maura." Jane finally spoke up, her voice sounding rough around the edges, trying to dismiss her friend. Maura could now tell that Jane had been crying recently.

"I heard you made an arrest." Maura couldn't stand the ensuing silence any longer and she also moved tentatively closer to Jane, who was watching her with cautious eyes still using the mirror as her way of looking at Maura approaching. "It's been a difficult case, even harder when you find out how young the suspect is."

"I'm fine." Jane was surprised her voice sounded firm and hadn't cracked as she spoke.

"Jane, you are not fine." Maura pushed the boundaries and moved in even closer to Jane, who still hadn't moved position. "I know you find it hard to talk about these things, but please don't shut me out. You have talked to me before, please... talk to me again."

Jane flinched at the hurt she could hear in her friends voice, but just couldn't find it in herself to let go. Not here, and definitely not in front of someone, even if that someone was Maura. "I can't."

Maura's heart broke at the pain that emanated from Jane, surprised at how it had come out with just two words. Without warning, Maura moved in and enveloped Jane in a hug. Jane initially resisted, before falling into the embrace, a sob ripping from her at the same time. Maura then was even more surprised as Jane changed position, and her lips crashed against Maura's with an intensity that was almost breathtaking.

The kiss was reciprocated; Maura was more than willing to allow Jane this. To give her what she needed. To free her from the pain and anger that was obviously swirling around her emotions. That talking would come later. The kiss was powerful, bruising. Maura could feel the anger behind it, but moaned in to Jane's mouth as the anger gave way to passion, need and want.

**Sorry…we promise, Dominique will be in the next chapter…regardless, you like? Well let us know! Review, review, review….**


	13. Chapter 13 Something More

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune**

**As some of you know, my co-writer's mum passed away recently so we kind of put this on the back burner for a bit. I appreciate everyone's patience and on behalf of SSA-rtune, their kind words, thoughts, and prayers.**

Dominique sat at the small table, watching the film she herself had taken on loop. She smiled as Jane appeared on screen, as she often did in the hours of footage that Dominique had shot. The smile turned to a frown as Doctor Isles appeared on screen, and while Dominique knew it was because of her position as the Chief Medical Examiner that she was there, she still felt the rage boiling just below the surface. It was apparent to anyone with half a brain these two women were more than just friends, and Dominique still had to work out how she was going to break them apart. It was merely an annoyance, but one she hadn't allowed for in her initial planning, and she hated when she had to adapt a perfectly good plan because of someone elses inability to recognize a situation and give inaccurate reports to her. She made a mental note to reprimand the person responsible for that part of the intelligence gathering.

Her head snapped up as she saw Jane's cruiser once again pull up at the site of the bombing out of the corner of her eye. Dominique spent a long time scouting for the right location, even before she had escaped. She needed somewhere that would enable her to watch, but without being evicted except for initial evacuations. This location had been perfect, since the apartment block backed on to the Mall, and while they had been asked to leave immediately after the blast, and some damage had occurred to some of the windows closest to the explosions. Residents in undamaged apartments had now been allowed back home, just as she had hoped. Dominique had given her statement to a uniformed officer that had come around touting for possible information, inwardly laughing at his oblivion as to whom he was talking to.

It had been easy to set up a camera to continually record while she had been away from the apartment. Dominique marvelled at the way technology allowed her to do this. While she hadn't been incarcerated for all that long, the advances were still considerable. Cameras so small they were hardly noticeable, recording directly on to hard drives that now held massive amounts of data storage. It was the stuff of dreams. Dominique couldn't help but feel pride in the fact she was hiding in plain sight, and she wondered what Jane would say if she were to know her current location. She felt a slight thrill at the thought. Jane; her nemesis, but also her lover to be.

Jane got out of her car and looked over at the rubble. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that a kid had caused all of this death and devastation. The reason that he had given for doing it didn't sit well with her, and she knew she was probably wasting her time coming back to the scene but she couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something. She knew he did it, of that she had absolutely no doubt, but something was not adding up.

Approaching the clean up crews she looked around as a shiver went up her back. The feeling of being watched was a profound one in this landscape and she shook herself, knowing she was just being paranoid, the stress of the past three days getting the better of her. Jane also rationalized it was hardly surprising to feel like she was currently being watched, since media vans were still all around, hovering like vultures picking over a carcass, to report even the smallest detail. They seemed to be the only ones gaining anything from it all, and frankly, their lust for news made Jane feel sick to her stomach. Walking around, she tried to get a feel for this kid; what would really prompt him to do something like this? The planning that had gone into placing three separate devices and the devices themselves seemed a bit too sophisticated for a sixteen year old.

Kicking at some of the debris, she let her mind wander to Maura. She was still trying to reconcile her feelings about her, though the kiss in the ladies room that she had subjected Maura to spoke volumes about her feelings for her. Maura kept her balanced, but having her near while she was dealing with the emotional havoc Dominique and this case were having on her was dangerous. The overriding fear she felt about Maura getting caught in the cross fire again with Dominique scared her to death. When they had finally let each other go last night, Maura hadn't said a word to her, instead she had led her out of the ladies room and back to her desk to get her jacket and gun. With a nod toward Korsak they had left the precinct in a comfortable silence. She hadn't commented when they pulled up in front of Maura's house where she had again had allowed herself to be led by Maura. Her exhaustion had been complete and Maura had seemed to understand that Jane just couldn't talk about anything right then. Despite her weak protests Maura had taken Jane to _her_ bed, not the guestroom, with her only intention being that Jane get some rest, and she had, in Maura's arms. For at least a few hours, there had been no nightmares, no bodies, no threat of Dominique, just Maura.

Sighing deeply Jane stopped and glanced around at the buildings that surrounded what remained of the mall. The blast had been significant and some of the surrounding buildings had been damaged by debris. It was only yesterday that residents had been allowed to return to their homes. Devastation and disruption; it had all the makings of a terrorist attack if Jane didn't know differently, and still, that worry she was missing something was gnawing away at her relentlessly, but she just couldn't figure out why, and it was starting to frustrate.

Letting her mind drift back to earlier this morning, Jane had woken more rested than she had in days and when she looked down at Maura, she was surprised to see Maura still sleeping nestled into her side gripping tightly to Jane's shirt. She had finally managed to extract herself from Maura's grasp and quietly gotten out of bed and gone to take a shower. When she came out, Maura was no longer in bed and the smell of coffee let Jane know exactly where she was. As they sat down for breakfast, Jane had tried to apologize for what she had done, for taking without asking, but Maura had placed a hand over hers and squeezed it tightly. No apologies or recriminations were needed, her smile said it all and when Jane had left for the bombing site it had been with the promise that they would speak later.

Jane went over her suspects statement in her head and she wondered if she hadn't missed something from the get go. Her heightened state before she went into the interview room might certainly have contributed to her missing something. Jane's gut was screaming at her to follow up with her suspect, even though both Korsak and Frost thought it was open and shut, and she had originally as well, but she knew, didn't just suspect, she knew, she was missing something, "But what?" Jane murmured out loud before she headed back to her car.

Jane pulled up in front of the precinct and headed toward the morgue first to check in with Maura. Watching the activity in the morgue she realized a lot of them had been working practically non stop since the bombing and they were still nowhere near done with identifications or cataloguing recovered body parts. Shaking her head at the thought she walked in and headed to Maura's office, nodding her head at one of the techs she had met at the scene a scant two days ago.

Jane's tentative knock made Maura look up. Smiling her eyes followed Jane as she took a seat on the couch. Jane's deep sigh prompting her to walk over.

"Are you okay" She hadn't been happy with Jane's decision to go back to the mall this morning but she knew that something was bothering her and after last night, she realized that she would do whatever it took to help her.

"I think I'm missing something Maura and I don't know what it is. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this kid can't have done all of this on his own." Jane allowed her frustration to show, knowing she could trust Maura to not comment except to try and help her through the confusion she was feeling.

"But Korsak said..."

"I know what Korsak said, hell I know what I said but something feels off. Yes, we found the evidence where the kid said it would be, and yes he is intellectually capable of putting it all together, but Maura..."

"I know, your intestines."

"My gut Maura," Jane smiled knowing that Maura had done that on purpose. "I know now I'm missing something, we're missing something."

"What do you want to do?" Maura knew that Jane already had something in mind.

"I want to watch the interview again but I want you to watch it too, you know, do that facial stuff you do." Jane flapped a hand out in front of her in a gesture that Maura was all too familiar with. It wasn't dismissive, more once again her frustration being shown.

"Facial Action Coding System, Jane," exasperation unwittingly apparent in her tone because she knew that Jane was fully aware of the system, Maura continued, "Are you sure?"

Jane ran a tired hand through her hair, "I don't know Maura but I _am_ going to view that video again, and I would appreciate a fresh pair of eyes." She hadn't told Korsak her plan yet and she knew he was already processing their suspects paperwork, but she had to be sure.

"I'm gonna go talk to Korsak and let him know. Can you come up in say, twenty minutes?"

Maura looked at the files on her desk, some of which would keep for a little while and nodded.

"Twenty minutes." Jane pushed herself off the couch and rolled her shoulders. Her injured shoulder was feeling the strain of the past couple of days and she hadn't been back to therapy since the bombing. She stopped when she felt Maura grasp her hand. Turning back to her she looked at her questioningly "What?" The question wasn't harsh, just Jane sounding unsure.

"Breathe Jane, trust your instincts." Jane opened her mouth to respond and snapped it close again, surprise on her face at Maura's words. Maura's support meant a lot right now.

"Thanks Maur"

"Jane! Hey, get any rest last night?" Korsak looked up from his desk as she walked in.

"Yeah, I did, thanks for...well you know..." Suddenly embarrassed about the abrupt way she left the previous night she was grateful when he didn't ask any questions. Jane was also grateful that Maura had given Jane time to wash and freshen her face the previous night, so there was no sign that she had been crying.

"No worries, it's been a rough couple of days" Korsak raised an eyebrow, "what are you doing here anyway, I thought you were going back to our crime scene?"

"I did, I did...listen, something is not adding up in all this," watching him she continued, "I want to review the interview again"

"Jane..." Korsak sighed as he observed the telltale signs of a paranoid Jane. "We can't second guess ourselves now, we have this kid on tape admitting what he did, plus we have the evidence he handed to us, why would you think we're missing something?" He put down the papers he was reviewing and turned his full attention to her.

"All I'm saying is I want to review his interview again," Jane could tell he thought she was looking for something that wasn't there, "What can it hurt?"

Korsak sat there thoughtfully before replying, "You're right I guess, it can't. Frost should be here in a bit you want him to set you up in the interview room?"

Jane nodded before picking up their suspects file. "Please..." head down she missed the look that Korsak gave her as he shook his head.

Frost would be in before long, and hopefully once she watched the interview she would put this to rest. Korsak could see how tense she was and knew that it was more than just this case. Dominique's trail had grown cold after the shooting at the cemetery and Korsak didn't know how to help her deal with that unknown right now. He knew as well as Jane, that Dominique never rushed into anything and if she was biding her time it was because she knew she could hurt Jane more this way. The worries Korsak had the second he knew of Dominique being back in the picture were coming true, and he never wanted to be proved more wrong in his entire life than he did right now.

Frost peeked his head around the bullpen doors, and called over to Jane and Maura who had just arrived from the morgue. "Okay, it's all set. Its over an hour long so..."

"Thanks Frost, come on Maura." Jane lead the way before they took a seat in front of the view screen. Jane pressed play as the door closed.

Frost walked over to Korsak's desk and sat on one corner. "So why does she have the Doc watching?"

"Says she wants to see is Maura notices anything we may have missed using that facial cognitive thing she does."

"Facial Coding...hmmm...do you think they'll find anything?"

"Frost, honest to God, I don't know and I don't know what she expects to find, but something is bugging her and I just wonder if it has more to do with Dominique than with the bombing." The worried look on his face earned a sympathetic pat on the shoulder from Frost.

"Maybe she won't find anything."

"Yeah but what if she does?"

"There Maura..."

Maura watched the video and noticed the recognition on the suspects face when Jane had come in the room. She continued to watch and noticed his nervousness increase as Jane questioned him and pushed him, surprised when he blew up at her during the interview.

"He recognized you Jane and he got more and more nervous the longer you questioned him." Maura kept her voice level as she realized that Jane may be right, there did appear to be more to this.

"I know, I noticed that he seemed to recognize me but I ignored it at the time, I knew it wasn't just me." The triumph in her voice quickly refocused itself as she pulled the interview door open, and yelled out for Korsak and and Frost, whose heads snapped up when they heard the door slamming open against the wall. "Come on, get in here."

Korsak and Frost approached the room slowly, both shooting each other a look, both still unsure what Jane was seeing. They eventually got inside, and pulled the door closed again.

"Jane come on..."

"No Korsak watch, just watch..." Together they all watched as recognition crossed their suspects face when Jane walked in. "See..."

Korsak's raised hand interrupted her, "Jane, you're not exactly an unknown you know, he probably recognized you from the news or..."

"Come on Vince! He's a kid for christsakes, he would've said something don't you think? Besides look at him, look how nervous he gets, there's something else going on..." seeing the disbelief on his face she turned to Frost, "what about you, do you agree with him?"

Her tone made him cringe but he refused to look apologetic or weak, knowing Jane would hate that more than his honesty, "Look Jane I know you want to believe that it couldn't just be this kid who caused all this but..."

Jane looked from one to the other and back to the screen. They seemed so sure, could she be wrong? But Maura was so sure about the recognition, the nervousness, that the kid was hiding something; she knew it or did she? Between Dominique still at large and this case she didn't feel sure of her thoughts or emotions at all. It came down to whether she trusted Maura's system and Maura, or not.

Korsak watched the emotions that crossed Jane's face, and realized she was unsure of her own conclusions. Inwardly he cringed, and didn't want to be the one telling Jane he thought she was seeing something that wasn't really there, and if even she was questioning it, how could she expect them to believe it. The kid was guilty, they had the evidence. It was as open and shut a case as you could possibly get. Korsak was indulging Jane at this point, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he would have to put his foot down with her, something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Maura interrupted the silence, "Ask him..."

"What?" Jane looked over at her unsure of what she meant.

"Ask him, I don't know, do a followup interview and just ask him." the matter of fact way she said it produced a small smile on Jane's face.

"Now that, is a good idea." looking at Korsak, she dared him to question it.

"Fine, but we do it together." Jane opened her mouth to object and realized this could work to her favor if he saw it himself, at the same time she realized that this was one of those rare occasions when Korsak didn't trust her judgment. Pissed, she realized that hadn't really happened since she was undercover and it hurt. It hurt that she had to prove herself to Korsak of all people.

"Michael, do you understand why we brought you back here." Korsak kept his voice even as he watched the young man shift in his seat. He saw his eyes darting back and forth between him and Jane but hadn't seen any sign of the recognition both Jane and Maura had seen. He was still convinced the kid only knew Jane from a TV report or some such shit.

"Sure you have more questions about what I did." He sat back, his body posture showing arrogance but his right hand kept tapping the side of his leg, they hadn't cuffed him to the bar along the back wall this time wanting him to trust them, a point Korsak had been very unhappy about.

Knowing he was all bluster, Jane got straight to the point, "Who hired you Michael?" Her voice was gentler than it had been the day before. She needed to get him comfortable talking to her.

"Hired me? Nobody hired me?"

"Are you sure Michael? How did you get the money to buy what you needed? You don't work, you go to school full time, and you say no one helped you." Watching as he continued to fidget, Jane smiled, "What aren't you telling us Michael?"

Korsak watched as Jane worked at getting their suspect to divulge more information. The kid wasn't budging. He decided to chip in. "Michael, when Detective Rizzoli came in yesterday, did you recognize her?"

"Nah, I don't know her"

Jane couldn't help but interject, "Why did you seem surprised to see me?"

"I wasn't!"

"You were Michael...we have your reaction on video...I made you nervous, why?"

The tapping on his leg increased as he looked at Korsak for assistance, finding none, he tried to stare Jane down.

She continued, "I'm making you nervous even now aren't I."

"I don't know what you're talking about," his voice was more shrill than it had been, eliciting a knowing smile from Jane. She was getting to him.

His voice filtered through the intercom in the other room and Maura turned to Frost, "He's not telling the truth at all."

Nodding to her he continued to watch as Jane asked him question after question. The more she asked the more confused the suspect got. His voice rose and fell depending on who was asking the questions and even though Korsak wasn't sure about it all, even he saw the signs of nervousness that their suspect was exhibiting.

Leaning in Jane moved in for the kill, "Do you really want to go to jail for murder? Especially if there was someone else involved? Come on Michael, we know you didn't do this yourself, I mean you're just a kid." she whispered.

He exploded out of his chair before Jane could move back, catching her in the face with his hands, "I'm not a kid!" he screeched.

"Dammit!" Jane ignored the blood pouring out of her nose as she grabbed him and sat him down forcibly. "Sit your ass down!" Korsak had jumped up and held him down while he quickly used his handcuffs and attached him to the back bar.

When he tried to get up again, Korsak slammed him back down. "Sit you little shit." Looking over at Jane he watched as she tried to stem the flow of blood from her nose. "Jane..."

"I know Korsak, point made." she stopped when she heard Michael mutter under his breath.

"What did you say?" she was shocked when she saw the fear in his eyes as he looked at her. Gone was the bravado and defiance.

"Never said you were a cop?" he mumbled.

"Who never said I was?" Jane thanked Korsak for the box of tissues he handed her from the small table in the corner of the room as she pressed their suspect for an answer.

"Nobody..." Michael looked down at the floor as he truly began to appreciate the trouble he was in. He was damned either way.

"Who Michael?" Jane was not going to let it go. She needed to know, had to know. Her instincts were screaming at her, she knew it wasn't just paranoia. "Michael I need a name." Seeing his expression she pressed him. "You've just assaulted a police officer on top of everything else...give...me...a name!"

"A guy named David, David Romero."

Jane watched him be escorted away from the interview room and jumped slightly when Maura placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh Jane...let me see please." With hands on either side, Maura ran her fingers along the ridge of Jane's nose. "Jane..."

"I know Maur...just fix it okay?" With a nod Maura realigned her nose patently ignoring the obscenities that she knew weren't directed at her.

"Better?"

"Yeah, so..." looking from Maura to Frost, whom she fixed with a slightly smug look, "there was something more to all this."

'You were right Jane." Frost could only chuckle as he looked at Jane's face, "What is that three times this past year."

"Shut up Frost... Maura?"

"Jane he was lying, quite blatantly and he certainly did recognize you."

"Well we both know that now don't we Korsak?" looking over at the older man she waited for him to agree.

"You want me to say I was wrong? Fine, there's more to this than we thought." Korsak walked over to his desk and wrote down the name they were given. "Now we need to find out who this person is."

Maura tilted her head as she realized they had all misunderstood her.

**Ah…the plot thickens, as you all knew it would.**

**Please let us know what you think, as always, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW**


	14. Chapter 14 Missing something

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune. **

**Our sincerest apologies, life threw my writing partner and I serious curveballs. The loss of her mom and beloved aunt, illness, a pending major move and resignation from one job and acceptance of another, have had us juggling more than the norm. We haven't forgotten you and hope you all are still out there waiting for an update.**

Maura looked from one to the other as they discussed the name that their suspect had given them. The more she listened, the more she realized that they had in fact not fully comprehended her words.

"Jane..." Pursing her lips she realized Jane hadn't heard her, and it hadn't even been enough for Frost or Korsak to look in her direction.

"Jane!" The name coming out of Maura's mouth far louder than she had intended, but for once she found she didn't care about how uncouth or rude it seemed.

Jane turned her attention away from Frost and Korsak, looking annoyed at having been interrupted. "Maura, what?"

"I don't think you understood what I said about him lying..."

"We get it Maur, we know all of this is a lie..." Jane began to say, effectively cutting Maura off mid-sentence, shaking her head, pushing her anger down.

"No Jane, the name he gave you, he was lying about it. His tone, his facial expression all say the name is false. There does appear to be someone, but it isn't David Romero." Maura explained quickly, recognizing that Jane was getting frustrated, and the last thing she wanted or needed was to antagonize her further.

Jane's head snapped up as Maura spoke, her eyebrows coming together as in a thoughtful frown. It was at that moment Frost spoke up.

"Maura's right Jane, there is nothing so far that is even registering on here. There are a lot of people with that name, but no-one is being shown in this area so far. And no criminal records are popping either with that name."

"Keep looking." Jane said, as she took in a deep breath. "He might be using an alias, so check that name isn't showing up as a known alias for someone else." Jane looked back at Maura, "Okay, you're sure he is lying about the name?"

Maura nodded, looking empathic. "Absolutely. There is someone else involved, but that is a false name."

Jane nodded slowly. "Okay, so we assume the name is false, but we still need to check it all out. Dammit, this just got a whole lot more complicated." Jane finally sank down on her chair alongside her desk; her head was pounding and her nose felt no better.

"I think he knew the person, albeit not well enough to be classified as close friends." Maura added after she'd given it a little more thought.

"So, what? Family? Friend of the family? Known to the area he lives? What Maur? That doesn't really help unless we can narrow it down." Jane said quickly trying not to let her frustration show in her voice, knowing it wasn't Maura's fault.

"I would suggest looking at family or close family friends first. Just because he might be close to them, it doesn't mean someone in the family isn't." Maura replied. "I sense he gave the false name out of fear of this person, and that he knows them well enough, at least by reputation for him to be scared of them. That suggests he knows them, so, like I've said, that in turn suggests some kind of family connection, or close family friend. Just not directly to him."

"Hate to break it to ya Doc, but that could also be someone from the area who runs the place." Korsak replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Could be someone from a local gang. C'mon, even you know in some districts, the gangs rule everything and just about everyone there."

"Oh." Maura sounded slightly upset that she hadn't been able to help more.

Jane sat at her desk, fiddling with her badge on her belt, before turning her attention to her phone, her nervous energy showing. "We need to know more about this kid's family. Bring them in Korsak. Parents, grandparents, cousins - I don't care who, even the pets, just bring the entire damn family in if you have to!"

Korsak's eyebrows shot up. "Hey, why can't Frost do it?" He tilted his chin in Frost's direction, who was keeping his head down.

"Cos Frost is doing the computer shit, genius." Jane's retort was swift as she then stood up again, pacing nervously. "There is more to this kid than he's letting on, and it's pissing me off that we're not getting any closer to an answer."

"Ya think?" Korsak muttered sarcastically, earning a glare from Jane and a slight shake of the head from Maura, who knew Jane was holding back her anger by a mere thread. Maura decided to step in, before it landed up in some kind of fight between Jane and Korsak, knowing Jane was itching to just let her anger out at someone. And while normally Korsak would have the good sense to back off, for some reason he was letting his own frustration show and the tension between him and Jane was building.

"Jane, how about we review this latest interview tape again? Perhaps we can pick something else up."

Jane stopped in her tracks, and flicking her hair back across her shoulder, she nodded. "Sure, gives me something to do while Korsak goes and gets the family." Jane then looked across at Korsak. "You still here?"

"Going now. Jesus." Korsak quickly pulled his jacket on, and disappeared through the bullpen doors, as Maura placed a hand lightly on Jane's elbow and used it to guide them to the interview room they had just left. Frost watched out of the corner of his eye, letting his body relax as Jane disappeared from view, before turning his attention back to his search.

Dominique hung up the phone and thought about her options. They hadn't connected her to the bombing and knowing Jane, it must be making her crazy right now trying to find out why it happened in the first place. The kid had been very valuable in placing the explosives. Who knew a child could be so talented.

_She looked back at the screen of the recently acquired laptop. She couldn't believe just how easy it was to garner something like this, even behind prison walls, and she couldn't stop the smile at the thoughts of just how much this was going to help her. Her connections were still solid, whether it was individuals or gang members who she used, and right now these connections were being used to their full advantage. Settling down, she began to access the internet, again marvelling how things had moved along in such a short time since her incarceration._

_Whilst the laptop had been a little more complicated to get - requiring her to use someone within the prison who was under less supervision and being allowed access for much more mundane use, for Dominique to then coerce - admittedly with force - into giving her the machine, the actual means to gain online access had been easy. All she needed was for one of her friends to purchase a mobile hotspot in the form of a 3G USB jumpdrive and she was set. Being pre-paid was also an added bonus, allowing them total anonymity. Small, easy to smuggle in, and untraceable. Dominique just loved technology._

_._

_She sat back slightly against the back wall as she was perched on her bed, and she watched the computer find a signal before quickly opening the browser. She had been given a name of someone who might well fit her purpose, as well as a web site address. The moment she began to read the blog entries, Dominique knew she had the very person she needed to make this happen. He was ideal, and best of all, she knew exactly how she could get hold of him._

Her phone rang again and looking at the number she felt the anger in her build. Her father was trying to reach her again. She had so far been able to avoid speaking to him. He had allowed her to be jailed years ago and no amount of pleading from her had provided any release. She had done that herself, just as she had long ago learned to take care of things on her own. He had heard about the bombing, just as he heard about the attempt on Jane Rizzoli's life. She knew her father was angry with her for bringing attention back on the family, but Dominique was done playing games. Jane would be with her or dead. And anyone who got in her way would pay.

Ignoring the phone as it rang again, she thought about her next move. She knew that the aftermath of the destruction Jane had witnessed had affected her. She knew Jane. Ever the hero, she would leave no stone unturned trying to find out who was behind the explosion. This Dr. Isles however, she knew nothing about her except that she seemed to have a very close connection to Jane. It suddenly registered that whilst she had asked for information about Dr. Isles to be brought to her some days ago, there was still no word, and it angered her even more to realize that something she'd asked for still hadn't been done. Snatching her phone up, she quickly dialled a number.

"Yes it's me...no...I want you to find out everything you can on Boston's Medical Examiner, Maura Isles...yes everything, where she lives, who she knows...and just what is her connection to Detective Jane Rizzoli...when? Today...its not impossible! Dammit I asked for this days ago and I am now passing this on to you, since it appears that Suarez couldn't do even a simple thing asked of him. I also want him dealt with, since it's important to send out the message that I am not to be messed with." Her voice rose as she grew exasperated with the incompetence she was being presented with.

Dominique listened to something being said, before looking even angrier, "Yes, that means killing him! I hardly meant taking him out for a meal. Don't fail me...I'm done being patient." Even as she disconnected the call she could feel the anger building inside her. She knew she had made a mistake with the attempt on Jane's life. She needed more information before she made another move, in the meanwhile, she would make Jane's life such a living hell that she was going to welcome her with open arms.

The set of Jane's shoulders broadcast just how exhausted she was. Watching as she rolled them, Maura frowned when she saw Jane wince, knowing her injured shoulder was still bothering her. With a sigh she placed her hands on them and started to massage, gently at first.

When Jane didn't object, Maura worked on her shoulders a bit more, trying to help her ease the tension she was feeling, the muscles obviously tight under her fingertips.

"Mmmm..." reaching up, Jane grabbed Maura's hand and pulled her around to face her. "Thank you" she said huskily. Jane knew she was reaching the end of her rope. She could feel her body fighting her from all sides and while she hadn't said anything, she had for a brief moment wished that Maura would do just what she had done. She felt guilty for even indulging in such a thought with everything that was going on around them, but she was grateful.

"Jane you need to..."

"Take a break, I know...I can't Maura, not yet." They had viewed the video twice now. It was glaringly obvious that this kid was hiding something but he had recovered so quickly that it was hard to get anything else out of the interview. Frost hadn't turned up much and with Vince on the way in with at least two more to interview, possibly more, she couldn't leave, not yet, not now.

"You're not going to be of any use if you can't focus, come on, twenty minutes on my couch downstairs at least, please Jane." Looking at her, Jane couldn't ignore the plea in Maura's voice; the concern.

Pushing herself to her feet, she staggered as she stood up and with a wan smile she squeezed Maura's hand, "Fine, for you, twenty minutes...come get me when Vince gets here please." Walking away she didn't pay any attention to Frost as he walked past. She couldn't remember being this tired ever.

"She okay?" Barry looked at Jane's retreating form with concern.

"I hope so, I truly do, did you find anything?" Maura refocused her attention on him while she took a seat, she was tired herself and wondered if she might be able to snatch a few minutes of sleep.

"Nothing! I'm starting to get a little pissed off, this kid is good, his blog is chock full of information and he alludes to a bigger cause, but I can't find anything. And his family? Half of them exist in the system only for the past six years or so. I mean shit, who is this kid? It's like suddenly half the family decided to become criminals on a whim, and he wanted to become a nutjob of a different kind."

Maura paused as she thought about what Frost had told her, carefully dissecting the information, "It is unusual for someone to suddenly become criminally active. Usually it's down to two main causes. The first is they simply weren't caught. However, I suspect since you said it's more than one family member that isn't the case here. One person and it's probable. More than one, particularly if they are related, and the odds drop dramatically. The second cause, and I suspect the most likely here is that a criminal element of some kind was removed from the neighborhood and they were able to operate without fear or reprisal."

"A gang or leader of a gang?"

Maura nodded. "That is most likely. If someone high enough up in the chain of command is removed, it could very well open up positions for people you haven't seen before on the system as they step up. The more involved they become, the greater the chance of being caught if they don't have people to take the fall for them - the foot soldiers if you like. Of course, it doesn't explain this child's desire to do what he has done. That is far more in depth, and he shows the classic signs of a psychopath."

"Doesn't help us much though does it?" Frost sighed loudly feeling as if he was getting absolutely nowhere.

"Perhaps," Maura looked thoughtful again, "If there was a power struggle, and the family stepped up; does knowing who they replaced help in anyway? By establishing a pattern of behavior we might be able to trace how others involved in the bombing got to know of this child. Vince did say it could have a gang connection, hence his reluctance to talk."

"Hey, that isn't a bad idea. I'll go and start running some stuff through the system. I'll also need to talk to someone involved in our gang unit to see if they might have any information." Excited, Frost rushed out to speak to his connections in the gang unit hoping he would have some information for Jane when she got back.

Maura mulled over the information that she and Frost had just gone over. She felt unnerved. This was much bigger than they initially thought and she wondered how much more Jane could deal with. She was still reeling from the attempts by Dominique and now this? Not to mention the intimate moment they had shared that they still hadn't discussed. She didn't know how to broach the subject, because it was completely unchartered territory for her, and if she was being honest, while she was excited about the whole prospect of her and Jane sharing more than just a good friendship; it also terrified her. Right now it also seemed unimportant in the whole scheme of things, even though the bombing had been the trigger to the entire event. Maura hated feeling so confused over things, and that was also how she felt. Was this the time to say something? Was it too much with everything else going on around them? What if Jane or she acted on impulse again without having any kind of discussion? So far, it hadn't been awkward between them, but Maura knew that might change should it happen a second time.

It was only as she pushed the door open did Maura realize she had made her way towards her office automatically. She stopped herself from entering the morgue properly, knowing Jane hadn't been there for long, and also knowing Jane had asked her to be woken once Korsak had arrived. Making a decision, Maura turned on her heel and headed upstairs - to see if Korsak had indeed arrived, and if not, she would wait at Jane's desk until he appeared. One thing Maura was certain of was that Jane needed to rest, so that was the least Maura could do for her right now.

Korsak strode in the bullpen, his eyes darting around, ready to face Jane and her temperament the minute he saw her. He was still feeling pissed at having been sent out like he was, and if anything, the whole thing had flared even more as he got back and saw that Frost wasn't even at his desk.

"So much for being on the computer." Korsak muttered, only then aware that Maura was sitting demurely at Jane's desk, her back straight, feet crossed at the ankles and hands held lightly in her lap. He took in a deep breath as he approached, knowing the doc didn't deserve his wrath about Jane's attitude.

"Vince." Maura looked up as he appeared by her shoulder, a smile on her face. "Do you have the family?"

Korsak nodded, "Yeah, just put the Dad and Mom in interview two. Where in the hell are Frost and Jane?"

"Jane is resting under my orders, while Barry is talking to someone in the gang unit about a possible lead."

Korsak's whole demeanour relaxed on hearing Jane had been sent to rest, knowing it would hopefully put her in a better mood. Maura stood up, making him step back slightly to give her room.

"I promised Jane I'd wake her once you were back. We'll be there shortly."

"Sure doc, take your time."

Maura stepped into her office quietly and watched as Jane slept. Her body was finally relaxed but she could see the dark shadows under her eyes. It was rare to catch Jane like this, unguarded, relaxed, and she hated to wake her, but she had promised.

Leaning over her she whispered as she shook her gently, "Jane...Jane, Vince is back..."

Jane heard Maura's voice in her dream and couldn't keep the smile off her face as she turned toward it.

Seeing Jane smile was enough for Maura to smile herself, before leaning closer, this time gently placing a firmer hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Jane, you need to wake up."

Finally Jane's eyes fluttered open and for a second she looked slightly disoriented until she remembered where she was. "Maur." Her voice was scratchy from tiredness, and Maura began to wish she'd allowed Jane to sleep for longer, even if she knew it would be a move likely to anger the brunette.

"Vince has the parents upstairs." Maura backed up with deliberate care, giving Jane the chance to wake properly and to move off the couch.

"Okay." Jane pushed herself up with a slight grimace as the movement pulled on her aching shoulder.

The grimace didn't go unnoticed by Maura, who moved across to her desk. She pulled a drawer open, and without a word pulled some painkillers out, as well as a bottle of water before returning to Jane, who was sitting upright, pulling her fingers through her now unruly hair.

"Tylenol." Was all Maura said as she handed the bottle of pills and water over.

"I'm all right." Jane replied, even though she snatched them out of Maura's hand, and without hesitation, she had two pills out and down her throat as quickly as she could.

"No, you're half left."

Jane sat there slightly stunned for a second as Maura smirked down at her. "There are times when I regret you learning how to make a joke or be sarcastic."

Suppressing a light laugh, Maura began to walk towards the office door. "I'll meet you upstairs." and didn't wait for a reply as she disappeared from view.

Korsak was standing outside the interview room in the small room that was attached to it, looking through the one way mirror at the parents as Maura quietly joined him.

"Have they done or said anything?" Maura asked, deliberately keeping her voice low, her attention taken as Jane also appeared in the room seconds behind her.

Korsak looked up at Jane, and gave her a small smile which she returned, both silently communicating to the other that they were now okay again.

"Not said a word or done a thing since we left them here." Vince shifted on the balls of his feet slightly. "You wanna take a shot at them first?"

"Yeah, why not mix it up a bit." Jane replied, as she turned, opening the door, which she held open for Korsak to follow her. "Maur, can you do your facial thing for us from here?"

"I can." Maura replied, turning around to look at the people in the interview room properly for the first time since arriving, and she couldn't stop the gasp from escaping, stopping Jane in her tracks.

"Maura? What is it?" Jane's voice suddenly seemed a long way away as Maura felt her world begin to spin on its axis and her arm came out, her hand scrambling to grab the edge of the window frame in front of her.

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	15. Chapter 15  Pic is worth a 1000 words

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune**

**A/N 2: I know, I know, its been forever….. but with a relocation, new job, probate, illness and the like…sheesh I'm surprised we got to it…But we did! You guys are the best and I hope you're still out there wanting to read this…Enjoy…**

**Oh and 3 Days and counting to Rand I Season Premiere! Woohoo!**

"Dammit Maura say something! You're scaring me here..." Jane grabbed her and led her to the seat a few feet away.

"Breathe, come on slow deep breaths..." Looking at Vince, she growled "get me some water for her" She would never get used to Maura going all vasovagal on her. It happened less often than when they first met but it freaked her out every time.

"Jane...Jane that's his family?" She was taking deep even breaths trying to shake off the pinpricks of darkness that threatened. It was times likes this that she cursed her body's immediate response.

"Yeah Maura, that's his family, what the hell happened?"

"They're related" she whispered.

"What? Of course they're related, this is mother and father. Dammit Maur you're not making sense!" Jane felt her frustration levels beginning to rise again.

With a deep steadying breath she turned away from the couple and looked into Jane's eyes.

"They are related...to Dominique..." she let her words sink in and saw the immediate change in Jane's demeanor and posture.

"Sonofabitch!" Jane headed for the interview room without another word only to be stopped by Korsak.

"Janie you can't, not like this." He could feel the muscles in her arms quivering against him, lord but she was pissed. "Let's think this through, we can't let them know we know, not yet Jane...not yet..."

Jane looked at the arm he held firm and held back by sheer force of will the slew of curse words she wanted to direct at him. She opened her mouth to say just one but didn't even get that far.

"Jane don't..." the softly spoken words cut through her anger like a knife. Turning, she was shocked to see the fear in Maura's eyes, not for the situation or even Dominique, but fear for her.

"Fuck!" ripping her arm out of Korsak's grip, she stormed out, punching the wall as she left.

In the stunned silence Maura stood up and quietly followed her. She knew where Jane was going. She always went there when she couldn't contain the violence.

The heavy bag never stood a chance against Jane's onslaught. She ripped into it over and over until the blood from her split knuckles made it impossible to connect properly.

"Fuck..." grabbing the bag to stop it from swinging, Jane held onto it tightly as the hot tears rolled down her face. The frustration, anger and helplessness she felt attacking her all at once.

Maura watched in silence, flinching with every punch, cataloguing the damage Jane was doing to her hands, thankful when she finally stopped. The tears didn't surprise her, but the defeated way she hung onto the bag did.

"Jane?" She approached as one would a skittish animal. She had seen Jane Rizzoli at her best and worst, but not like this, never like this. She seemed beaten, defeated. The last few days had taken their toll on her spirit as well as her body.

Jane stiffened at the voice and slowly relaxed. Of course it was Maura, it was always Maura. Letting go of the heavy bag she sat down on the floor next to it and rested her beat up hands on her knees.

"Damn that hurts..." her voice held no inflection at all; she could have been talking about the weather.

Without another word, Maura left only to walk back in less than five minutes with all the first aid items she needed to care for Jane's hands. Noticing that Jane hadn't moved since she left, she shook her head before kneeling down in front of her and taking a beaten up hand in her own.

Grabbing an antiseptic wipe she looked into Jane's eyes, eyes that had turned almost black with her rage, "I'm sorry, but this is going to sting."

"Good" her grunted acceptance of more pain made Maura frown but she would wait until she was done before she said anything. Jane barely flinched when she applied it, then loosely wrapped gauze around her hand. She did the same with the other, not saying a word in admonition at all. Maura was just happy that at least at this point, Jane was still allowing her to help her. Whether that would continue with this new revelation, she just didn't know.

"Done." With that she pushed aside the first aid items and sat next to Jane, she gave it the briefest thought before she leaned her head onto Jane's shoulder. She didn't know if Jane would shy away from the contact or not, but this brooding Jane scared her and she knew that if she didn't give her this physical contact now, she would lose her, they all would.

They sat that way for a little while, neither speaking, both just listening to the other breathe. It was Jane who finally broke through their shared silence.

"Thank you..." her voice was rough, scratchy, from the emotions that were still flowing through her.

"You don't have to thank me Jane. I can't begin to understand how you are feeling right now, but I know that I'm not going anywhere until this is done. Neither are Korsak or Frost. You're not alone anymore Jane. You don't have to face Dominique by yourself."

"She's involved in this too Maur...I mean what the hell?" Jane got up from the floor and paced, looking down at Maura. "Did she kill all those people because of me?" Punching the bag one last time she stormed from the room. Maura got up quietly and touched the bloody smear on the heavy bag. Tears threatened as she realized the anguish that Jane was experiencing. Not only did Jane feel alone but she felt she was to blame for everything that Dominique was doing. This new development was enough to send Jane over the edge. The death and destruction they had seen at the site of the bombing had been overwhelming for them both, knowing you might be a catalyst...she couldn't begin to imagine the depths that Jane's self loathing would go.

Determined, Maura hurried to follow her. She had only just accepted her feelings for Jane. She was not about to lose her to Dominique's madness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane took a deep breath before going into the bullpen. Frost looked up to say something and quickly snapped his mouth shut when he saw the look in Jane's eyes. Walking directly to Korsak she crossed her arms in front of her, waited and glared at him when his eyes dropped to her gauze covered knuckles, the blood seeping through on her left hand not escaping his notice.

Vince felt the chill the moment she stepped through the door. He knew she was barely hanging on, and while she wasn't being allowed to participate in the Dominique investigation, it seemed Dominique was determined to make sure Jane was a part of all of it. Korsak didn't like where this was headed.

"Jane..."

"I want to talk to them." Her voice was ice cold and as controlled as he had ever heard her.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"My case, my call." Leaving no room for discussion, she turned on her heel and headed toward the interview room.

"What the hell happened to your hands?" Frosts innocent question made Jane stop where she was.

"What the fuck do you care?" Storming out she almost took out a uniformed officer walking down the hall.

"Ow!" Frost rubbed the back of his head and looked at the source of his pain, "what the hell Korsak?"

"Are you dumb or just stupid? Pissed as she is, why the hell would you ask about her hands? You know where she was..." Exasperated Korsak followed his ex-partner down the hallway. If she was determined to question them, he was damned if she was going to do it alone.

Jane rounded the corner and stopped short. Maura stood outside the interview room waiting patiently. Feeling just a bit of her anger dissipate at the sight of Maura, she approached a bit more cautiously, wondering what she was up to.

"You're going to question them." Maura wasn't asking her so she didn't know if a response was in order or not. She was using her M.E. voice which for some reason always calmed her.

"Yeah I am."

Maura thought about what she wanted to say and looked at Korsak who was standing quietly behind Jane, having followed her. She wanted to tell her what a mistake this was and that she was probably wrong, anything to get Jane to stop blaming herself, but was interrupted by Frost's abrupt arrival.

Stopping short he'd just got off the phone to dispatch and didn't quite know what to say. He suddenly realized that Jane would know if he spoke up but it had become immediately apparent to him that the new case was connected to all this and the last thing he wanted was Jane's wrath and anger spilling over even more than it was already.

"Uh...we just got a call about a body found two blocks from the mall."

"And?" Jane said, "there are more homicide detectives you know." Her sarcasm was absolutely caustic and she was getting tired of everyone trying to delay the inevitable, her interview with this kid's family.

"Its a known associate of Dominique's." Jane's visible flinch at the mention of her name, was lost on no one.

"Shit." Korsak's utterance was more to himself. There was no keeping Jane away from this now.

"I'm going."

"I know dammit...you too Doc, we need the M.E." Korsak shook his head as his worst fears were being realized. Jane was sinking fast into the person she had been those years ago. The only one she seemed to respond to at all, was the Doc.

"What about the family?" Maura was the only one who seemed to remember why they were all gathered in the first place.

"They can sweat it out till we get back." Korsak waved a dismissive hand at the door. "I'll get Crowe to babysit till we return."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? They came in voluntarily...I mean we don't know how long we'll be out...don't they deserve a little respect?"

Jane turned around with a hardened expression, disbelief at Maura's comment showing. "Hell, they deserve a furnace of a room and no chairs if I had my way!" She said with a snort. "Can't tell me they don't know anything... we can keep them for now - lets go!" With that, Jane spun around on her heels and began marching out. "Frost, exactly where in the hell is this body?" She then shouted over her shoulder, barely breaking stride.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Victor 825," Jane flashed her badge as she crossed under the caution tape surrounding the spot where the body was found. Holding the tape higher she waited for Maura to go through as she flashed her ID to the officer as well. They had driven together at Maura's urging and Jane knew why. She was fraying at the edges, she knew it and nothing she was doing seemed to be stopping it. Maura was worried about her. Maura loved her and damned if she didn't love Maura, but everything was just so upside down right now. She didn't want Maura close. That just made her a target, remembering the sight of her laying on the ground after the shooting at the cemetary was burned into her mind. She didn't want to feel that way again, ever.

"Over here Doc." The officer watching the body motioned for Maura who quickly headed toward him. Frost was already kneeling by the body having arrived a few minutes before them. Maura watched as he held back his gagging enough to stay in place. Despite the situation, Maura couldn't help the small smile as she recognized just how much better Frost was now around dead bodies and she felt a sense of pride at the progress he had made. Her attention though was quickly brought back to the body at hand.

"Interesting." Maura crouched down alongside Frost, pulling on some gloves as she went. She then pulled a picture that was placed squarely on the chest.

"Oh."

Maura's voice was enough to get Frost's attention and he swivelled around to face her. "Doc, you all right?"

Wordlessly, Maura handed the picture over for Frost to study. "Oh crap." Frost looked up and was pleased to see that Jane was talking to Korsak. "You okay Doc?"

"Yes. A little shocked obviously, but I'm okay." Maura's words were slightly stilted as she held out an open evidence bag.

Frost held the picture up again, taking in the image of Maura in crime scene overalls at the bomb site seemingly going through rubble. The picture had not been taken by someone that close up, but at the same time, Frost could tell it had to have been taken from a location that was close to the now destroyed mall. He dropped it into the bag, watching as Maura then sealed it, before handing it off to one of her technicians. Frost stopped her.

"I want to show Korsak first." He explained quickly. Maura nodded at her technician who moved away to begin processing other evidence.

Looking at Frost, Maura had to ask, "Do we tell Jane?"

Frost shook his head as he wondered about how this would affect his partner, "Let me talk to Korsak first okay?"

Nodding her head wordlessly, she continued her examination.

"Oh shit." Frost's voice was barely a whisper as he pulled a second picture from besides the body. He began to straighten up, glanced across at Korsak, and with a quick wave of his hand, managed to get his attention. Korsak walked over watching as Maura stood up to move to be with Jane, clipboard in hand, oblivious to Frost's latest discovery.

"What's up kid?"

"This." Frost carefully handed the picture over, and watched as the color drained from Korsak's face.

"What the hell..."

"Looks like it's been photoshopped. Someone who is pretty good at image manipulation as well."

Korsak took a step back. "Did the Doc see this?"

"Don't think so. It was just off to the side of the body. You can't keep this from her." Frost replied, as he was grabbed on the shoulder by Korsak's free hand and led slightly further away from Jane and Maura.

"I know we can't keep it from the Doc, but we've gotta work out if we keep it from Jane, and if we don't how the hell we approach it. She's on a knife edge and her tipping point is millimetres away. This might be enough to send her completely over the edge."

Korsak looked back at the image, and closing his eyes briefly, it was already seared in his brain. Maura's body, broken and battered showing beneath some of the rubble from the bomb site scene. Her hair was matted with streaks of red running through her locks, her dress torn and dirty. Her bones so broken she looked more like a limp rag doll. Only her face was clear and stood out starkly against the obvious damage inflicted elsewhere. Even though Korsak knew it was a mock-up, it still made the bile rise in his throat.

Clearing his throat, Frost got his attention again, "There are two pictures Korsak." Pulling the other out of his jacket pocket, he heard the older man curse under his breath.

Maura glanced over at the two detectives and back to Jane as she answered her question.

"What's wrong Maur?" Jane had noticed a change in her demeanor since she had come back from examining the body.

"Nothing is wrong, cause of death appears to be from gunshot wounds to the chest cavity. At least one may have pierced his heart."

Eyes widened as Jane realized what Maura had said, she never, ever, gave a possible cause of death even when it was friggin obvious.

"Maura what the hell is wrong?" Grabbing her hand Jane was surprised by how clammy it was. Looking up she saw Korsak and Frost approaching both looking just as unnerved.

"Someone needs to tell me what the hell is going on, right...now!" The apprehension she saw in Maura's face and uneasiness in the others was getting to her. Without a word, Frost handed over the evidence bag with the first photograph in it.

"What the..." Looking up at Maura she saw her biting her lip as Jane looked at the photo and back at her. "She knows, goddamit she knows!" Missing the look that passed between Frost and Korsak she continued.

"We need to know who this guy is, where he's been, everything Frost...what?"

She caught the glare that Korsak threw at Frost, "What?" when all Jane got was continued silence she got in Korsak's face. "Dammit Korsak don't make beg and then pummel you, what else?"

Pulling the other picture out he pulled her to the side away from Maura "You need to stay in control Janie" handing it over he waited.

With a sharp intake of breath she stared at the picture and the back at him. "Korsak..."

He grabbed her as her knees gave way.

"Jane what's wrong?" Maura's concerned voice was right behind her as Jane shook her head.

Korsak led her to Maura's car, "No Korsak...I won't let it happen, I won't."

"What's going on?" Maura was right there, as she always was and Jane looked at her and couldn't get the doctored picture out of her head. The tears racked her body as she held her head in her hands.

Maura looked at Korsak who sighed before passing the photo over. Maura's hand flew to cover her mouth as even she gagged at the sight. Looking at the woman she loved she understood. Kneeling down in front of her, she took Jane in her arms.

"Jane" swallowing thickly she tried to draw on the depth of her feeling for this woman, "Jane, honey look at me" she forced Jane to look at her, shocked by the tears and depth of emotion.

"I'm here Jane, that picture was just a sick and twisted joke, meant to hurt you."

Shaking her head from side to side, Jane looked at Maura and then at Korsak.

"You know Korsak."

Unsure Maura looked at them both and waited. Frost looked down at his shoes. He knew too.

"Doc, Dominique had a way of threatening folks, but first she would show their loved ones how they were going to find them." clearing his throat uncomfortably he continued, "she left photographs as a message, a warning and...well she always followed through," looking at his broken ex-partner he felt his anger build, as he realized what this was doing to her.

"Jane we'll find her, I swear..."

"You can't promise that Vince," using the gauze to wipe her eyes, "but I can." The steel was back in her voice.

Looking into Maura's eyes she saw her own love reflected there and drew strength from it.

"I want to be involved every step of the way. Maura is not to be left alone...I'm gonna find this bitch and end it, once and for all."

**So…liked it? Really? Well let us know! Review Review Review**


	16. Chapter 16  Revelations

**A/N: written with SSA-rtune**

**A/N2: Oh my goodness it has been forever since we posted. All I can say is that life slapped us both silly. SSA-rtune had a myriad of things going on to include health issues and I relocated, started a new job, etc... But we are back! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter and know that we will post again shortly. Re-read the previous chaps if you forgot what's been going on ;)**

"Jane please think this through..." her voice trailing off Maura raised her hands in supplication as she practically begged Jane to reconsider. "You don't know that these people had anything to do with this. Barry, tell her. Vince please..."

Both men knew enough to get out of Jane's way. Korsak trusted in her innate sense of decency not to go too far but he had to admit, he was a little worried too, thinking maybe Jane was going to far with this.

"Jane, maybe the Doc is right, we don't..."

"Don't what Vince?" she looked at each of them. "So far this bitch has been calling the shots, I'm done, enough is enough already. It's time for us to push back" Opening the door to the interview room, Jane took a seat in front of her suspect's parents.

"Christ..." Korsak muttered before following her in but keeping his distance, knowing he had to give Jane whatever space she needed. He stood in the corner, forgotten almost immediately by those around him.

"Come on Doc, we can watch from here." Barry led Maura to the viewing room sparing her a worried glance. What Jane was proposing was daring, and might just work, but it could also backfire on them in a tragic way. It was rare they went to the extreme Jane was about to in there. Not unheard of, but still... it was always a gamble.

Jane tossed the case file on the table making sure that pictures from the scene fell out. The older woman's gasp was enough for her to know she touched a nerve. Her husband took her hand and looked steadily at Jane.

Maura also gasped, mirroring the actions from inside the room - shocked at the way Jane was behaving. She'd known Jane hit - albeit it not literally - a suspect hard with information before, but she'd never seen it done with such a look of hatred as Jane was displaying right at that moment.

"When can we leave?" the husband asked in accented English.

"Leave? Leave? You keep that bony ass of yours down on that chair. We haven't even gotten started yet." With barely a glance at either of them she pulled out a few of the more gruesome photos and their son's statement.

"I want to know how your son knows Dominique." Pulling no punches, Jane threw the name out there and wasn't disappointed when her suspect's father visibly flinched away from her. He recovered quickly, swallowing and looking at his wife for support but she appeared to be transfixed by the photos that Jane refused to put away.

"See something you like?" Jane suddenly asked, her attention firmly back on the woman again, making her recoil ever so slightly in her seat. Jane pulled even more photo's out of the manila file, spreading them with deliberate care. "You see, this has Dominique written all over it, and I know, you know something."

"Detective we came in because of our son. We don't know anyone named Dominique." Jane saw through the false bravado. She could almost feel Maura staring at her through the glass and knew without a doubt that she was hating her right now. It was a feeling she was used to whenever Dominique was involved.

Maura stood stock still, schooling her features before turning to her left; hatred furthest from her mind. Concern, worry, love, in fact a myriad of emotions, but hate wasn't even close to the surface. "Barry, please tell me Jane isn't going to blow this whole investigation by getting too aggressive in the interrogation."

Frost shuffled his feet slightly, before fiddling with his belt buckle. "Honestly, I don't know." Frost finally looked across at Maura. "Korsak knows Jane better than I do in situations like this. I haven't got a damn clue what she might do next."

"Then at least please tell me his presence in there will ensure she doesn't take it too far."

Maura began to twist the ring on her finger, totally unaware that her nervous habit had been triggered for the first time in a very long time: she'd made a concerted effort not to do it once she had seen Doyle doing the same in her morgue all that time ago when she discovered his relationship with her.

Frost tentatively smiled at Maura, allowing her to release a breath, knowing he felt confident with Korsak in the room.

Their attention was suddenly brought back to the interrogation room, as Jane pushed her chair back so hard, it hit the wall where the two way mirror was, the noise vibrating through the frame.

"I don't know how you can sit here without any sort of remorse, when the families of these victims don't get to see their loved ones ever again." Jane fought the crack in the voice, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Korsak taking a step forward, before stopping and moving back to his spot once he knew she had only thrown the chair for effect. Her full focus returned to the parents in the room. "There was a baby killed, as well as kids! Do you understand. Kids. Your kid killed others! Other kids!" This time she did allow the crack in her voice, knowing the emotion she displayed would add to the overall impact she wanted.

Jane leant forward in the most intimidating pose Maura could ever remember seeing her in. "Children... Mothers, Fathers... Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles. All slaughtered like animals in an abattoir by your son. Families so torn apart they will never recover from this. Possibly for generations."

The husband struggled to maintain his cool facade and Jane knew it and was getting ready to make him crack entirely. She knew by now that the Mother would protect her son at all costs. The father was the key. His son's life hung in the balance.

"She didn't give him a choice."

"No!" his wife slapped him across the face horrified at his words. Not only was he betraying the family, he was signing their death warrants.

"Quieta mujer! We don't have much choices." He looked at Jane, his eyes and tone of voice pleading with Jane to keep them safe. "She knows we're here detective. My nephew was home when we were brought in. He works for her since her return."

"Nos mata! Mi hijo!" Losing all sense she struck out at her husband wildly even as he tried to control her. Jane shook her head at the glass making sure no one else came in yet as Korsak maintained his solemn silent stance in the corner. She still had one more vital question.

"How? How are you connected to Dominique?" She kept her voice as neutral as possible.

Looking down at his now sobbing wife, he held her close to him. "My wife's half-brother is Dominque's father."

Jane sighed, closing her eyes briefly, before looking back at the two broken people at the table. "Last question, you said your nephew was there and works for Dominique, just how far is her reach into the family? Does it give her a supply of bodies and people to use?"

"Christ, she could have an army out there. All willing to die for her cause; because she's blood!"

Frost's whispered words barely registered, and Maura spun around in shock. He suddenly looked up at Maura, having hung his head as he spoken, shock across his features.

"Crap, I..."

Maura held a hand up, stopping Frost in his tracks. "Barry, I understand. Jane has to know, and it was a legitimate question. Until we know just who, or how many people Dominique has at her disposal, we're always going to be at some kind of disadvantage."

Frost merely nodded, as they both turned to watch as Jane carefully began to scoop the loose pictures back up, carefully placing them back in the file as she went. Neither had caught the answer from the parents about how many others in the family were involved, but both knew they would find out that potentially frightening statistic soon. Too soon in Maura's mind, but Maura was also a great believer that the unknown prospect was always scarier than the overall reality, and for now, she pushed that all to one side. Her greater concern was still, and would always be, Jane's well-being.

Korsak closed the door quietly as Jane strode out ahead of him, the file tucked under her one arm. She stopped where Maura and Frost were, before sighing.

"Maura, can we use your office?"

Maura's eyebrows rose at the question, but she didn't ask why, knowing Jane had a good reason, "Of course."

"Then that's where we need to go." Seeing Frost's questioning face, Jane quickly explained, "I know it isn't likely, but until we know just who helped her escape out of the prison, I don't want to have discussions about this damn case anywhere around the precinct where we might be overheard. Maura's office, though has two doors, also has locks and the privacy we need."

Jane then moved, and the other three trailed after, all thinking about the small amount, but vitally important information they had just discovered. It appeared that Dominique wasn't as helpless with the help as they had first predicted.

Finally, they arrived at Maura's office, and she quickly pulled the blinds closed, before shutting the doors and locking them. Jane had already sat down on the one sofa, Frost and Korsak were squashed up on the other. On another day, Maura would have found the sight of them squeezing in onto the small two seater funny. This was not the day. She walked to sit down alongside Jane, stopping for a second as her eyes caught the two pictures she and Frost had found at the last body left in Dominiques wake. Maura had been so caught up in the whole thing, she realized she had completely forgotten about them, and she was still shocked by what they represented.

Jane smiled quickly as Maura sat down besides her, Jane's face quickly slipping to a serious expression as she looked back at the notes she had begun to jot down. Jane desperately wanted to write down what she had learnt, while it was still fresh in her mind so she had notes for later, but also to keep it all in order as they plowed through the mountain of information they had. Her shorthand was only readable by her, but it was enough for what she needed it for. She tapped the side of her head as she recalled some of the conversation and wrote quickly, ignoring everyone else.

Finishing, she looked up to see the others waiting patiently for her. "Sorry, I had to get it down before I lost it."

"So what have we got?" Korsak wasted no time. He had seen the look on Maura's face when she caught sight of the pictures again and he wanted to move on a bit and as quickly as possible. Jane was focused and calmer, they needed to take advantage of that while it lasted.

"Well, to be blunt, we're screwed." Glancing at her notes, Jane continued. "Dominique has a much larger extended family here than we knew about. This kids father confirmed at least eleven others, three of whom are gang members, which means..."

"Which means we're going to have a damned war on our hands if they all side with her." Korsak ran a hand across his face, "Shit!"

"Wait a minute, isn't this what happened last time, she had family working with her?" Frost looked from his partner to Korsak, confusion evident on his face.

"Yes and no kid. See, last time, Dominique was backed by her dad and when he cut her off, that's when we got her. It looks like she's been cultivating these relationships for a bit since she's been locked up." Korsak looked at Jane for confirmation.

"Our suspect's father said this started in jail. One of her cousins was also incarcerated and recognized her. Offered her services." Jane's voice dripped with disgust. She knew better than anyone how persuasive and dangerous Dominique could be.

"But I don't understand, what are her intentions now?" Maura was trying to keep up with it all. "She has to know that we would find this out."

"It's simple. Right now her intentions are revenge, against everyone who was involved in her conviction. Not the judges, lawyers and all that crap. She wants to get to those who conned her into trusting them enough so we had the information to finally put her away. She wants us, and I'm head of the list. Surely you must realize that by now Maura?"

Maura nodded, accepting what Jane had just said. As much as she knew it was the truth, until Jane had said the words out loud, a tiny part of her was still hoping it was nothing more than a dangerous criminal out to wreak havoc in the local area to take control. Jane's words had cemented the truth, and now there was no way Maura could try and tell herself otherwise.

Swallowing nervously Maura glanced at the photos again and spoke her fears aloud, "and the pictures? Why leave those specific pictures Jane?"

"It's how she leaves a message to people she's out to get." Korsak said, "It's her way to show who's a target. Not necessarily the next on the list, but she also used pictures to show how she intended to take someone down."

"Why me though?" Maura looked confused. "I wasn't involved in her original trial. I didn't know Jane or you at the time."

"Somehow she's figured out what you mean to me Maura." Jane's voice was soft and full of anguish. This was all her fault. She had betrayed Dominique. Not just as an officer doing her job, but as a lover. Dominique had wanted her and had her all in the line of duty and Jane had betrayed that. For Dominique that was worse than anything else Jane could have done and now...

"But..."

"I betrayed her Maura! Do you get it? All of you!" She jumped to her feet and paced like a caged animal. "She wanted more than just for me to work for her and I let her believe I had given her that."

Realization dawned on Frost and catching Korsak's eye he realized Korsak knew nothing about this. Knowing better than to say anything he stood there in as much shock as the others. No one dared say anything, except Maura.

"Jane are you saying..."

"YES! That's exactly what the hell I'm saying. I fucking slept with her to get information and I was good at it! She fell for it...She fell for me. Hard." Jane ran out of steam and dropped onto the couch. Head in her hands she let out a sob as Jane realized she had now effectively signed Maura's death warrant with her idiotic sense of duty to the job.

Maura's shock showed on her face and gently crouched down in front of Jane, who refused to look at her, tears still falling. Grasping one of Jane's hands gently, Maura tugged just enough to get attention.

"You listen to me. I know how your mind works, and you cannot for one second feel responsible for Dominique and how she is behaving, or that she is targeting me now. What you did all those years ago, you did because of what you believed in. Justice for the victim. You still believe in the same thing; you couldn't have possibly known how your actions then would affect us today. You are not responsible for any of this Jane Rizzoli, Dominique is the one who's responsible."

The silence that fell was broken intermittently by the sound of Jane trying to compose herself.

Maura watched Jane carefully, before squeezing Jane's hand. "Do you believe me, or do I have to embarrass you and bring the middle name in to play?"

Jane couldn't stop the laughter than bubbled up, and immediately the tension in the room was broken.

"What's Jane's middle name?" Frost whispered to Korsak.

"Hell if I know, dammit, it looks like we're not going to either." Korsak mumbled, as Jane's face changed and she smiled at Maura.

**Hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to let us know, good or bad and if you are still reading and following this story, Thank you!**


	17. Chapter 17 Options

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune**

**A/N 2: see, we promised, more timely updates. Thanks to all of you who are continuing to read and who have hung in there with us.**

Moment of levity aside, Maura knew her words had a calming effect on Jane and she was glad when Jane angrily wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up with renewed conviction.

"Alright, no more of Dominique calling the shots." Picking up the first picture of Maura she handed it to Frost.

"Find out where she took this picture from Barry." Waving aside his immediate objection, "No, think about it, the area was cordoned off. This is taken from an angle higher than the site, so unless she was standing a few feet away, she was in one of the buildings surrounding the site." Turning to Maura, "Can you remember approximately when you were at the site in those clothes?"

Maura smiled as she nodded, "I was there on three different days and I wore those same overalls for forensic purposes, but yes, I think I can narrow it down by clues to my other clothing if you can see enough in the image. If not, I'll trace my steps mentally, see if I can't work out the point this was taken, in other words where I am in relation to the site. Whilst I did cross some areas more than once, I did also work a grid pattern through the days I was there. If I can narrow that down, I can tell you the location. If I can also narrow down location, you get time and date within an hour at most."

"Good!" Feeling the first bit of hope since leaving the interview room she turned to Korsak. "The other photo..."

He knew what her question was. It was one of theirs, taken at the scene and doctored, which meant someone had provided that photo to her. "I'll get a list of names, everyone who was checked in at the site and anyone who may have signed any evidence out."

"Why?" Maura looked at them in confusion.

Picking up the photograph, Jane forced herself to look at it and swallowed before turning to Maura.

"This is a body on scene, which means it was taken by either an officer or a crime scene tech Maura. You can see, this isn't done off scene, but it has evidence markers all around it. That means she has her hooks in here and we need to find out where. We also need to know if this is the same person who sprung her from prison, or if she has more than one person in law enforcement working for her."

The realization that Dominique could be that close to the investigation sent a shiver of fear through Maura.

"Oh..."

Jane took Maura's hand in the same fashion that Maura had for her just moments before.

"Breathe Maura..." She knew the signs and the shock of hearing what she just did was making her go vasovagal.

"I am...I'm sorry." She looked at the others apologetically.

"Don't be." Korsak said softly, before looking back at the second picture. "Dominique is enough to make anyone feel sick to your stomach." Looking back up, Korsak fixed his gaze on Jane, "We could do with narrowing down where this picture is listed in the evidence inventory as well. If we can narrow down who on scene actually took it, and when - it might also give us a starting point as to how someone else got hold of it. Gives us a timescale for example to see if it was ever signed out by someone, and if so, who and when."

"Hell of alot of stuff to trawl through." Frost said with a heavy sigh.

"Which is why we need to get on it right away, but not here." Jane stood up. "As much as I'm okay in this office, I still don't like being around the precinct. I suggest we sign evidence out and take it to my apartment..."

Jane didn't get any further.

"No." Maura stood up, looking firmly at Jane. "We take this to my house. I've got the room you haven't, where we can all work properly."

"Yeah, and the chance of Ma walking in on us. She doesn't need to see any of this." Jane said, with a shake of her head. "And a chance for Dominique to see us there. If she's gunning for you Maura, somehow she's going to have some kind of surveillance on your place."

"First, I refuse to be driven out of my home." Maura's face showed she was not broaching any sort of argument on the matter "And I'll just make sure I'll tell Angela we are working and that we cannot be disturbed. Jane, we need to do this properly, and that means a working environment that is conducive to good work practice. Your apartment sofa or kitchen counter is not going to be sufficient. At least, let us use my dining table, where we can all sit around it, and discuss anything that comes up in one place. Besides, if Dominique has got some kind of surveillance on my house, what on earth makes you think she hasn't got the same thing on your apartment."

Korsak tipped his head slightly. "Doc's got a good point Jane. It would be the best place to do this. We need to be able to put out a lot of evidence, and your place is hardly big enough for you and Jo, let alone all us."

"Hey, enough dissing my apartment!" Jane said quickly, but without rancor. "Jesus, as if Ma or Frankie doesn't go on about it enough, I'm not about to let you guys say anything."

Maura smiled, knowing in a roundabout way, Jane had just agreed to use her house to do this.

"I'll go sign out the evidence. Frost, I'll need your help to haul the boxes to the doc's." Korsak said, ready to get this all moved as quickly as possible.

"You got it. We'll meet you at the garage? Drive in convoy to your place?" Frost asked as he stood up.

"Yes, that would be the most sensible course of action." Maura replied. "In the meantime, Jane and I can check out my reports from the autopsies, in case they give us a clue. I know my work is highly unlikely to give us anything, but I think we should be prudent and include it. I haven't had a chance to review all the reports from other ME's, so it would be a good chance to do that as well."

Jane and Maura watched as Korsak and Frost left, and then Maura moved towards her office filing cabinets where the reports for the bombing autopsies would be kept. Jane held back, as she watched Maura going through the files with practiced ease, pulling out various ones as she went.

"You think any of these might help?" Jane finally asked, as Maura now sat at her desk and began to sign the paperwork needed to show she was removing the files.

Maura looked up, pen in hand, "Honestly I don't know. You know as well as I do Jane, I might have some forensic information that could give us a lead, but unless there is something in the manner of death that is unusual, it's not likely the cause of death is going to help at all. However, that doesn't mean it isn't worth checking, just in case Dominique has left behind some evidence. You must remember, in the short time she has been incarcerated, our forensic improvements have continued apace. Whereas before she might do something, and it wasn't found forensically, it doesn't mean she didn't leave something behind. Merely that it couldn't be found with the technology of the day. She could easily not realize this and leave us a clue that would never have been discovered before. Forensics might be the key."

"Shit, thinking of forensics and stuff..."

Jane grabbed her cell phone off her belt holder, quickly punching the speed dial for Frost. Maura tipped her head slightly, unsure what had caused Jane to react like she had.

"Frost, listen, you still know that guy with all the electronic wizardry stuff?"

Maura watched, intrigued as Jane instinctively nodded, obviously pleased with a reply from the other end.

"Great, can you get a bug sweeper. The best you can get from him? Don't worry about cost..."

Jane looked across at Maura, who knew immediately Jane was checking it was okay for her to have said that, that basically she was asking Maura to cover financially as needed. Maura nodded with a smile, mouthing, 'Whatever we need.' to Jane, who returned the smile, before focusing solely on Frost.

"Add bugs and surveillance equipment for us to potentially use on that list." Jane paused, and Maura could hear some muffled words from the other end of the phone. Jane shook her head, before her face hardened slightly. "Ask Korsak, he'll understand. I don't like this either, but if we're gonna catch this bitch, we might have to use methods to try and find out where she is that are going to be..." Jane faltered, as Maura expected to hear her say 'illegal', but recognized Jane needing to not be so obvious, so Frost was covered should it ever come out. "Methods that are not quite standard operating procedure. Now, I'll meet you at Maura's."

Jane said goodbye, before walking slowly back to Maura.

"Is it best I not ask what the last request was about?"

Jane let out a short laugh, that was far from amused in sound. "Yeah, look I know you would deflect if asked, but best not to know full details, okay. Let's just say, we need to keep all our options open. We skirted the law when I was undercover before, and on occasion, we had to step across a line. It was authorized then - Now..."

Jane let her words drift, and Maura nodded before speaking again, "I think I've got everything we need from my reports." Maura then stood up, placing various manila files into her work briefcase that was besides her desk. "I suggest we get back home."

Neither Jane nor Maura thought anything more about Maura's house being referred to as home - for them both. It just was.

* * *

><p>Dominique watched via the small webcams she had in place trained on Maura's Beacon Hill home, as well as Jane's apartment, a low growl emitted from her throat as her anger rose. She stood up so suddenly her chair toppled to the floor. She picked up the mug that she had previously had coffee in, throwing it with force against the wall, gaining no satisfaction as it shattered into pieces in the corner. Swinging around, she began to pace, before stopping and reaching out to pluck a cellphone off the table. She quickly dialled a number, and began pacing again waiting for it to be answered.<p>

Another low, menacing growl came out as the answer service cut in. "I expect a person to fucking answer this, not a goddamn machine." Dominique paused, her words spilling out in an icy tone. "Just... Fucking call me the minute you get off your lazy ass and bother to use this fucker for the reason it was invented."

Ending the call, Dominique looked back at the monitors she had set up, before walking out of the room altogether, determination in her stride.

Just two doors down, Dominique swung a wooden door open, making the man in the room there jump out of his chair.

"I want to know where the family have been taken, and who is looking after their security. There is no way they are going to come back home. They will talk, and will be given protection. I need to know all the details. Do. You. Understand?"

Dipping his head in compliance, the young man merely nodded, before scurrying out of the room as quickly as possible, not wanting to risk the wrath of Dominique.

Dominique sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, as she felt an impending headache begin. If there was one thing she hated, it was sloppy work by those who worked for her, and right now, the standards she expected were not being met. She would have to consider how to ensure people knew she meant business. That she was back, and was not to be messed with.

**So? What do you think?**


	18. Chapter 18 History

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune**

**Not as long a wait this time …enjoy…thank you to all who are still reading, reviewing and alerting.**

**Special Thanks to SSA-rtune for her encouragement...**

Korsak moved away from the table, as the others all poured over the various files they had brought with them. Maura was steadfastly going through the autopsy reports, but so far there had been little for her to give to anyone. Jane glanced up, and seeing Korsak's face, she immediately stood and quietly went to his side.

"Problem?" Jane asked as Korsak ended the call he was on.

Korsak sighed. "Yeah, just got called in for another body." Korsak twisted around, and called Frost. "We've gotta go, body."

Maura looked up, and then glanced to her phone. "I haven't been called."

"I hope you don't mind, but I asked dispatch to make sure you were only called in an emergency." Jane admitted, with a slight grimace. "I meant to tell you, but we got distracted..." She then pointed to the files.

"Why would you ask me to not go in under normal circumstances?"

Because I want to protect you. Jane immediately bit down, not wanting the words in her head to escape, knowing Maura would not be happy if she knew the real reason. She decided to go with the half truth.

"You know what it's like Maura. Murder doesn't stop, and I know you can't be expected to be around here all the time... It's just I knew Korsak and Frost would most likely be called out, and I really wanted us to get a good shot at all this before we lost momentum." Jane ran a hand through her hair, looking apologetic.

"I would appreciate being asked next time." Maura sighed, and took a deep cleansing breath. She knew Jane wasn't being entirely honest, and also knew in all likelihood it was her way of trying to protect her. She wasn't ready to get into the argument of protection while others were around.

"Gotcha, next time I will make sure I talk to you first." Jane turned back to Frost and Korsak. "Call us if you need either of us?"

Frost nodded. "Sure, and likewise, you find anything, let us know. If we can bring anything else back from the precinct as well, call."

Jane moved back to the table and dropped down onto a chair as the front door closed behind the departing men. She reached out a hand to envelop one of Maura's. She could tell by the look on Maura's face she was about to be questioned. She decided to just get it out there before Maura had chance to ask anything.

"In answer to your likely question - Yes, I also want to try and protect you. I can do that when I know you're here with me... but I also know I can't stop you from your job without raising a whole stack of questions from the powers that be." Jane awkwardly scratched her head. "I know this is hard for you to understand, but I've seen just what the hell Dominique can do to people. How she goes about it... You are not safe Maura. She's put a target on your back with those pictures... it was one of her favorite signatures to maintain control..."

Jane took a deep breath. The next words out of her mouth were going to be some of the most difficult she had ever had to utter. Maura, sensing Jane's discomfort moved her chair so she was immediately alongside Jane, a hand coming out to gently caress Jane's cheek. Jane leaned into the touch, fighting back unexpected tears. It was now or never. This could potentially also ruin the relationship once Maura realized just what Jane had been involved in.

* * *

><p>Jane looked on. She knew the face and internally grimaced when she remembered they went to the academy together. For a split second, she worried that he was going to blow her cover, before reminding herself even her family thought she was a total fuck up that even eclipsed Tommy's fuck ups. Instead, the man she'd seen looked across at her with a smirk. She also remembered she never did like the son of a bitch and his attitude then.<p>

"Wondered what the fuck happened to you Rizzoli," he walked across to her, a drink in hand. "Not so cocky now are ya."

"Roberts. Didn't expect to see you here." Jane's voice was raspy, irritated by the cigarette smoke that was choking the room. Jane could smell the sweetness of more than just tobacco though and was surprised she wasn't high on the fumes alone. There was a lot of cannabis floating around the place tonight. She listened to the chips as they clattered against the wooden surface of the tables around them from the illegal gambling. Music was low in the background.

A sneer was present as Roberts leaned in, deliberately pushing Rizzoli's personal space. She pushed back ever so slightly, ready to prove she wasn't about to be intimidated.

"I'm guessing she's got her claws in you as well then." His smile then widened, but there was no mirth behind the gesture at all.

"Yeah seems we're more alike than I thought." Jane shrugged, giving the impression the conversation was boring for her, while she was trying to compile as much as she could, ready to report back to Korsak. There was no way she was going to let a crooked cop stay on the force.

He took a good long pull on the scotch in his glass, the ice tinkling against the side, as he waved for one of the topless waitresses walking around for a refill. He put his order in before looking back at Jane. "I never pegged you for walking the wrong side of the line. Looks like it must run in the family. After all, that no good brother of yours is always in some kinda trouble, although I hear the other brother is taking on the moral role. Frankie isn't it?" The smirk was back. "I wonder if we can't introduce him to all this?" A hand went out and gestured around them.

Jane stepped forward, not bothering to hide her anger. "You keep Frankie outta this."

"Oh, guess there is still some of the old Rizzoli in there after all. I don't know what you're so upset about. This is exactly the kind of thing to bring him along to. Get him to dip his toes in the water."

Jane was saved from throwing a punch as a hand rested gently on her lower back. She straightened, eyes hard and narrow, holding Roberts gaze.

"Jane, I was wondering if you could do a favor for me." The words were low, hitting the shell of her ear, as a tongue came out and gently kissed the exposed neck.

"What?" Jane forced herself to look at Dominique, who smiled at her.

"I have some business I need to discuss with Mr Roberts. Do you think you could sort out the back room for us?" Another kiss was dropped on Jane's neck.

Jane tensed, suddenly worried. She knew what the back room often meant, but she also knew Roberts most likely had no idea. Equally, she had never been asked to be involved directly before, and she just hoped it didn't become a problem for her. Sure, she had walked some pretty dark places on this assignment, but she didn't think she was going to be prepared for what might be happening. Shit.

"Jane?" Dominique moved back a fraction, a questioning look on her face.

"Yeah, sorry." Jane threw a dazzling smile in her direction, "I'll go and sort it now."

With the key held tightly, Jane swore it felt like a ton of metal in her hand. She twisted it around in her palm for a second, before slotting it into the lock. As she turned it, she heard the click of the tumblers, they sounded unusually loud to her. Swallowing hard, she moved the handle, and pushed. The door swung on the well maintained hinges, and the table with wooden chairs were painfully obvious in the middle of the room. A single bare bulb lit the area, giving off a harsh unforgiving light.

Jane walked across to the table, where she rearranged the chairs into the formula she knew Dominique preferred, before blowing out a breath. She barely had time to gain her composure before the door was opening, and in strode Dominique, Roberts and one of Dominique's men. Jane internally released a small breath, because he was the one she knew did the work that often happened in this room. Hopefully it meant she wasn't about to have to make a choice she didn't think she could. Hell, she knew she couldn't make that sort of decision. This could well end in blood sweat and tears - literally.

Dominique sauntered across, and pulled Jane in roughly, latching lips together. Jane made herself relax, using all she had learned in recent months to achieve it. She brought a hand up to trace Dominique's jawline, and was rewarded with a moan.

"Hot damn, if I'd known I was going to get a show..." Roberts began, but was cut off, and Jane heard the yelp of pain. She screwed her already closed eyes tighter, knowing it had already begun. She was not going to get out of it, and for whatever reason Dominique had decided Jane was about to be a party to something only a trusted few were allowed to either see or do.  
>She could almost hear Korsak and Dan telling her this was a good thing. That Jane was now obviously trusted as much as Dominique ever trusted people. That she was truly in the internal workings of the organization and the operation was a bigger success than they had ever dreamed of. Jane though, hated it more minute by minute.<p>

Dominique pulled away, and licked her lips slowly, a lascivious smile creeping across her face. "You're too good at that baby." A brightly painted fingernail came out and tracked down Jane's face, before she turned, the look on her face instantly turning to stone as if someone had flipped a switch. The smile returned, this time cold and distant.

"Well I guess you're wondering why you've been asked here?"

Roberts nodded, unable to talk because of the gag that had been expertly placed into his mouth. Sweat was already beading and falling down his face. The bruise from what Jane could only assume was a punch already forming around the swollen eye on his left side.

Dominique stepped closer to the captive man, bound hand and feet to the chair. She drew a fingernail down his face in much the same fashion as she had moments earlier on Jane, only the intent was at complete opposites, and Jane had to admit to herself, Dominique was scary. She had seen Dominique controlling her empire many times, always with a cold hard determination, but this was the first time she'd seen just how much Dominique enjoyed the hurt of others.

"You, Mr Roberts have become a problem." Dominique ignored his one good widening eye and frantic expression. "Now, I knew you had a gambling issue. It is after all how we became aware of you." Dominique slid a knife out of her pocket, and flicked it open with complete nonchalance, as if she were about to simply open a packet or letter. She slowly drew the blade down the same path her nail had taken, blood pooling instantly, as whimpers and heavy breathing were all that could be heard. Tears ran unchecked down his cheeks.

Jane's blood pounded in her ears, and she had to fight not to look away. She knew if she did, she would be receiving the same fate that was about to befall the man.

"So, you owed me money to pay off your gambling debts, and I have to say, for a long time you've always paid us back. You've also been a good source of help in other areas that have also offset some debt." Dominique looked back at Jane, the message clear. This was a dirty cop and had fed information to Dominique. Dominique looked back down at Roberts as the knife now rested on the edge of his neck. "However, you have done something that really wasn't a good idea. I did send you a warning, but you ignored it. Either too cocky or too stupid. I don't know which it was, but that's not going to matter. You went to another to get money, to pay us off. So now, not only do you owe me, you owe on your gambling debt, and now another loan shark. That was not a smart move."

She twisted the knife, enough to break the skin and pushed ever so slightly, and left the knife in the top of the shoulder. She nodded to the man who had walked in with her, who so far had stood slightly off to the side, not saying a word, his expression emotionless. He reached into his jacket inside pocket and pulled something out, which he then handed to Dominique.

She held it up in front of Roberts, whose whole demeanor seemed to tense even more than Jane thought possible. It was then she noticed the damp patch in the crotch of his trousers. He'd just pissed himself.

"You see, most people who get sent these know they they mean. You though didn't seem to react at all to it. Like I said, you either didn't know what it meant, or you're just stupid. I'm going with stupid, because I've yet to find anyone in my organization who doesn't know what a picture like this is about." Dominique threw the picture down on the floor, where it joined a slowly pooling area of blood.

Jane immediately fought back the bile in the back of her throat. She knew what that picture signified. It was a warning to anyone who received one - you are dead. This is how you'll meet your end. That picture was particularly gruesome. Roberts had obviously really pissed Dominique off to receive an image as bad as that one. She forced her eyes away from the floor, as the coppery taint of blood began to assault the senses. This was quickly going from bad to worse. Blood, sweat and tears. Shit.

* * *

><p>Maura paled as Jane told the story, her own features gaunt and ashen.<p>

"Please tell me you didn't.."

Jane shook her head quickly. "God, no. I didn't kill anyone. I might have gotten pulled into some fights, and watched as others got killed when I couldn't stop it, but I never once got that involved. If I could save someone without giving up my cover, I always did... Always." Jane emphasised the point, "There is no way I could do that - I would have rathered die if I had to make that choice. I have to tell you though, I was so worried that day Dominique was going to turn around and hand me the knife but she didn't. It allowed me to get surveillance equipment in that room though once I had access, and was the main reason we caught the bitch." Jane blew out hard, trying to recenter her thoughts. "She is dangerous Maura. I know I keep saying it over and over and over, but she will stop at nothing. She has no regard to the law, and certainly has no morals or empathy. I know when we finally arrested her, she was seen by some people from the FBI behavioural unit in prison, and was diagnosed as a sociopath on the extreme end of the scale. This is why I can't take the pictures she placed at the bombing lightly. Why you need to think about going into some kind of protective custody."

"No." Maura's answer was instantaneous , and she even pulled away slightly, anger crossing her face. "I will not run from this. I will not leave you Jane."

Jane closed her eyes, before slowly opening them back up again, a tear on her eyelashes, not quite falling. "I don't know if I can protect you Maura... and I can't lose you."

"Jane I am not running from this. I have been talked to by you and Korsak, so I have all the details to make an informed decision, and I've made it. What makes you think Dominique won't find out about me if I do go into some kind of protective custody? I won't know anyone, have anyone I could trust. Here, I have you, Frost, Korsak and Frankie. All people I know will defend anyone of us with their life if they had to. If I leave, I won't have anyone to depend on. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Jane stood up and slammed her hand down on the table, making Maura and paper all jump. "SHE COULD KILL YOU!" Jane yelled, as the whole situation weighed down on her, and she couldn't stop the heaving sobs that erupted as Maura wrapped strong arms around her waist, pulling her in, before tightening her grip. "I could lose you Maura. I can't... I can't. I just can't..."

The whimpered words were enough to make Maura wish that Dominique was in the fiery pits of hell. This was a Jane Rizzoli she was not used to seeing. Broken, defeated and scared. She'd only ever seen it when Hoyt was still alive and now this. She wondered just how much more either of them was expected to deal with in their lives as words poured from her mouth, trying to soothe the distraught woman in her arms.

**Aleady working on the next chapter, hope to post by next week. FYI I'm also participating in the NaNoWriMo so my apologies for sporadic updates.**


	19. Chapter 19 Rondo to the Rescue

**A/N:Written with SSA-rtune**

**I'm glad to see you are all still with us…throwing a bit of a twist in, you know us, have to complicate things a bit. Special thanks to SSA-rtune, its creepy but when we write, we tend to read each other's minds, so I guess…well I guess we're both a bit nuts! Enjoy...**

Rondo stood behind the dumpster as quietly as he could. The word on the street was that someone was working to take out his favorite detective and he just was not having it. He had pulled in a couple of favors to get what little information he had, but now he realized that might not be enough.

He was a good CI, loyal, but the guy working for this Dominique chick was a twisted little fucker. Rondo knew his name, he went by Melrose, but he had no idea what he looked like. All he was able to find out was that the guy would be meeting with an acquaintance of Rondo's who dealt with cops on the take. Rondo didn't bother with those guys. Vanilla was good enough for him. She was as straight up as they came and deserved better than what he was hearing, plus, he owed her. As for Jane's Ma, Angela was just fine and he wouldn't stoop so low as to hand out information to a dirty cop, because of either woman.

Taking a step back into the shadows, he watched the guy he knew pull up. It wasn't long before a young guy walked up to the car and opened the passenger side door. Rondo cursed under his breath, he couldn't get a good look without the guy walking his way but he was determined to wait it out. He could see them talking through the car windows and wasn't surprised when he saw money exchange hands.

Tapping his pants leg nervously he pulled out his cell. He had Vanilla's number and knew without a doubt that this was something she needed to know about. Sending a quick text, he glanced up and saw they were still there.

Not even five minutes passed before he got a text back. "Stay there, on my way!"

"Hurry up Vanilla" he watched as the discussion in the vehicle became animated and hoped that if she didn't get there in time he could at least get a good look at the guy.

*********  
>"Jane who was that?" Maura watched her wipe the tears angrily from her face and take a deep calming breath as she tried to get herself together.<p>

"Rondo, looks like there's a confidential informant that the police uses that may be working for Dominique." the anger in her voice was barely contained.

Maura understood the implications, it meant Dominique very likely had her hooks in someone at the department. This went a long way toward reinforcing Jane's fears regarding Maura's safety. It also solidified the evidence that the person who had helped Dominique escape was most likely within the police department rather than the prison service or someone else who might have access to the computer records. The news did little to settle Maura's fears about the whole situation, but only heightened them. It was bad enough to be fighting someone like Dominique, but to be fighting an unknown person within the very place you were supposed to find help was downright terrifying.

"Does he know who it is?"

"No but he does know where he is, right now." Jane quickly grabbed her wallet and holstered her gun.

Maura watched and knew she had to stop her. "You can't go by yourself...please."  
>Jane stopped at the tone of Maura's voice. Her plea pulled at her, but she had to go. This was exactly the kind of break they were looking for. If they could get to her "supply lines" they could take her down. It was one other area that had worked before to get the information for Jane and Dan to even get close to the organization. Tommy's involvement had been the catalyst but they had still needed knowledge to extend Tommy's reach within his own area.<br>"Maur..."  
>"I'm going with you."<p>

"Absolutely not!" Jane glared at her. Running both hands through her hair, she just wanted to pull it all out, she was so frustrated. "Maura, listen to me..."

"No." Maura grabbed her bag and waited by the door. "You wanted to keep an eye on me? Well I think it would be impossible for you to do that if I'm here and you're with Rondo." The smugness on her face made Jane crazy, and Maura's stance showed she was aware of as much.

"I...dammit Maura, I can't take you with me." Jane implored her. She was trapped by her own words and she knew it.

"I'm not letting you go by yourself." She forced Jane to look at her, "You're not alone anymore. We face this together as a couple."

She'd lost and there was nothing that she could do to change the fact, Maura had just hit a grandslam. "You don't play fair Maur."

Under any other situation, Maura would have smiled at the slight whine Jane's voice had taken on but it was enough for her to know she had won this round. Grabbing the keys to Jane's car she took her by the hand, "All's fair in love and war..."

********  
>The two men were still arguing in the car as far as Rondo could tell. He had even been able to hear a word or two they were so loud. He knew Vanilla was on her way because she had texted him to confirm what street to meet him on. Ten minutes she said. It was almost that now. He kept his eyes on the car, not wanting to miss the guy if he suddenly left.<p>

"Rondo...Rondo!" Jane's loud whisper made him jump.

'Yo Vanilla, whoa... and the Doctor," Rondo stood back admiring Jane. "Mmm mmm mmm, looking mighty fine tonight Vanilla..."

Jane rolled her eyes, as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She then grabbed both of his upper arms, looking right in his eyes, her face serious. "Rondo, not now. Focus...information needed... Now."

"Okay Vanilla, chill - they're still in there." Pointing toward the car he explained who was whom.

Dropping her hands off Rondo, Jane pulled out the camera that Maura had made her go back into the house for and started snapping pictures of the vehicle. She couldn't see either man clearly at all, yet. She just hoped the dimming light didn't interfere with the images to such a degree it made the pictures worthless. At the very least, she hoped to get the car plates. She had already made a note of the local spots where traffic cams were in place for Frost to run later if they needed to trace the car that way.

"Do you know who they are?" Jane whispered.

"Nah, not really, the one guy I know, he goes by Diamond, cause of the ring he wears on his left pinky. The guy he's meeting, that's Melrose. I got a name but I don't know what he looks like. I tried Vanilla."

"It's okay Rondo" Jane couldn't believe all he had done on his own, for her. "This guy Diamond, what's his line?"

Rondo sighed, he hated these questions, he didn't like betraying folks but this was wrong, just wrong. "Diamond he plays both sides you know. Tells you guys what you want to hear, just enough, you know? As long as he gets his cut and gets to stay out of the line of fire." Jane nodded encouraging him to continue.

"What about this Melrose character?"

"That's just it, he wasn't nothing a month or two ago, never heard of him, all of a sudden he's got his finger in everything. Then your name started popping up and Diamond was asking. When I tried to find out more turned out he was getting info on you for this Melrose character. This guy Melrose has his fingers in everything I hear, to include you guys."

"I'm sorry?" Maura looked confused at the reference.

"He means the police Maura, Melrose has his hooks into the BPD and if he's connected to Dominique then he's our link. He's how we find her." Jane watched as the animated conversation appeared to wind down and pulled her gun.

"Jane no!" Maura knew what she was intent on doing and she knew it was a mistake. They were asking questions on the street about Jane, that meant they knew who she was and very likely what she looked like as well. Grabbing her arm she held Jane back.

"Maura I have to, we may not have another chance like this." She tried to pull away and winced as her recently healed shoulder was grabbed by Rondo.

"Doc's right Vanilla, now ain't the time." He was shocked by her response. She was usually cooler than this. Passionate yes, but this was way out of character.

Jane heard the car door open and headed toward the vehicle.  
>"No!" Maura hissed "Rondo help me" Maura grabbed Jane and pushed her against the dumpster.<p>

Jane fought them both, "Dammit let me go! This may be our only chance..." struggling against them both she fought in vain. Rondo was stronger than he looked and Maura had years of yoga and exercise behind her.

"Shh...Vanilla, stop..." Rondo watched as the man they knew as Melrose looked around. There was no way he hadn't heard the noise they made, but fortunately for them he kept walking. Rondo felt his heart hammering in his chest, that was too close but it looked like it had been passed off as the sort of scuffle that often went on around these parts. Looking up Rondo was shocked to see the Doc covering his favorite detective's mouth. This was not going to end well. Diamond started his car and peeled away leaving the three of them standing in the alleyway. Rondo and Maura both let Jane go and backed away from her slowly.

Jane stood there chest heaving unable to believe either of them. They had the guy, a direct line to Dominique. She felt betrayed and angrier than she ever thought she could feel.

"Jane" Maura could see how hard Jane was trying to reign in her anger.

"Don't. Just don't." Jane's hand stopped her. This wasn't the same as when she was undercover. She was alone then. She wasn't now but they had stopped her from getting information she needed. Or had they? Maybe they had saved her from herself. Jane knew darned well that she had a self destructive streak at times and maybe that was flaring again but she was so sure this was the way to go.

"Vanilla don't blame the Doc." He looked nervously from one to the other. There was a lot more going on here than just trying to stop her from going off half-cocked. And that was something he didn't want to be involved in.

"Look, uh...I'm gonna see what else I can find out on this guy and get back to you, okay. I'm gonna go do what I do." Mimicking a phone call he let them know that he would call her and left them to each other.

Jane and Maura glared at each other each reliving the other's actions. The moment was intense and couldn't possibly last.

"Jane?"

"I'm not mad Maura," seeing Maura's raised eyebrows, she clarified, "I am mad but more at me than you. I ...I wasn't thinking was I?" Her hands were clenched tightly as she fought the emotions that she was feeling. Fear was first and foremost, that's why she was angry. This thing with Dominique had her scared for Maura and she was throwing her judgment out the window. Somewhere, somehow, she forgot she was Detective Rizzoli not Dominique's Jane. She would never be that person again.

Pulling out her phone Jane dialed.

"Who are you calling?"

"Korsak, we have a problem now. We know there's a department leak and unless we can find out who it is we won't be able to stop her."

She spoke quickly to Korsak and hung up. "They're coming over to the house as soon as they're done."

"Jane?" Maura rested her hand on Jane's shoulder, "Are we okay?"

"I understand why you did that Maura, I do. I just want this to be over."  
>Maura sensed the distance Jane was putting between them and refused to stand for it.<p>

"Look at me Jane. I'm here, I'm not a body in a picture, I'm the woman who wants to stand by your side through this. I'm breathing, have blood pumping through my body. I'm warm, not on some cold slab. Let me help, please..."

Jane squeezed her hand and and nodded. Even awake she was suffering from nightmares. She couldn't get the vision of those pictures out of her head and her loss of control a bit ago had her concerned. She knew she would be seeing Dominique again, she just needed to be sure that the Jane Dominique met again was the Jane that she truly was. Despite her fears, Jane also knew to achieve that she would need Maura to be there, to remind her to stay true to who she was.

Korsak and Frost were greeted at the door by a serious looking Jane, who stepped back and wordlessly watched as they walked in. Both then made their way back to the table, taking up the same chairs they had occupied before, Maura waiting for them with a small smile of greeting.  
>Jane finally dropped back down on her own chair.<p>

"So, you gave us some information on the phone Jane, but not much." Korsak said, looking between the two woman, unsure if the tension was directly between them or just the situation they were all currently in.

Maura pulled open her laptop, and with a few clicks, she turned towards her TV. Frost looked impressed as the screen of her computer appeared on the large screen on the wall.

"I've hooked this up to the big screen so we can try and get a better look at some pictures we took within the last hour." Maura explained, as images appeared from their rendezvous with Rondo.

Jane stood up and motioned to the pictures. "The car belongs to a known CI only known to Rondo as Diamond. It's apparently due to a large diamond ring he wears on his pinkie. According to Rondo, he plays both sides of the fence. Now," Jane nodded to Maura, who clicked the images on, to show a man getting out of the car. "This is Dominique's contact. Rondo knows very little about him. He only appeared in the last month or so, and goes by the name of Melrose. Rondo is absolutely sure he is part of Dominique's new setup." Jane sat back down, looking across at both men.

"Diamond should be easy enough to track if he's been a CI for awhile. Distinctive name and identification with the ring. Might not be able to find who he's a CI for as easy, but I'll ask around, see what pops." Korsak scribbled some notes down as he spoke.

"I'll try and clear up the images," Frost said, "See if we can't get a better look at the plate on the car."

Jane sighed, knowing that Korsak had been around long enough to ask around without creating too many questions or waves. She also nodded quickly at Frost to show her appreciation on trying to find more from the images.

"I want the dirty cop or cops who are helping her Vince." Jane declared. "We get them, we can use them."

Korsak looked worried. "Whoa, hold on Jane. You know you can't just go barging in to nab a dirty cop. For a start, we'll need a helluva lot more than just being the contact with Diamond. You also know someone like Diamond, if he's been doing this a while, is most likely to have a few contacts in the force."

Jane stood up again, trying to burn off the nervous energy. "Yeah, but we get them, we can use them to get information to Dominique, feed them a load of bullshit to her. Bring her out of hiding."

Korsak stood up, and slowly walked around the table, effectively blocking Jane's path. "You change even the slightest thing about a cop's routine Jane, and you know it'll be spotted. Let's say we do find out who it is. What then? We arrest them? Threaten them? What? We need to be smarter than that."

"We need to get to Dominique." Jane said, with a scowl, sitting down heavily on her chair again, as Maura put a hand out to cover her own. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to center herself. "Right now...how else are we going to do it?"

Korsak sat down. "By doing what we always do Jane. We work the evidence. Yes, it's complicated because until we find out just who or how far Dominique's reach is within the precinct, we can't use all the usual methods. But we've used less than usual techniques before, we can use them again."

Frost coughed subtly, "Yeah, like me cracking mainframes that I shouldn't. I'll do all that again if it helps Jane."

Maura looked up, and took a deep breath, feeling Jane's tightening in her own, and she knew then that Jane was finally listening to the friends around her and taking their help. She might still be feeling out of sorts with it all, but Maura would take any step forward no matter how small at this stage.

Maura looked around at the others, "So, what do you propose Vince?"

**So…what say you all? Still with us?**


	20. Chapter 20 No secrets

**A/N: I know it has been forever and I certainly hope you are all still with us. Life has had its ups and downs since I last posted for both SSA-rtune and myself. Also, she's in England, I'm in the states. coordinating our writing can be a heck of a challenge but please know that we are committed to giving you the best story we can and to finishing it. Enjoy...**

**Written with SSA-rtune Thank you...**

Maura looked around at the others, "So, what do you propose Vince?"

* * *

><p>Korsak took a breath, knowing that what he said now was going to piss Jane off no end.<p>

"We stick to what we've already agreed on. Frost, work on the plates, and take all the pictures Jane took. See if you can't work some of that technobabble stuff on them to enhance the images. Also, see if we have a good enough angle and overall picture on that Melrose guy to run his face through facial recognition."

Frost sighed, "Looking at the pictures, that's a long shot. It was a fair distance away, with poor lighting-" he paused, seeing the anger building on Jane's features, "But I'll see what I can do. I should get something from it all, I just don't know what yet."

Korsak nodded, and looked back at Jane, "I'll start putting the feelers out for this CI called Diamond, see what I can dredge up. In the meantime Jane, can you carry on checking out all the other information we began to pull together? Check right through the report over Dominique's release - we need to be sure it wasn't a prison guard or someone else. We have to cover every angle, and right now there is not a lot more we can do."

"What should I do?"

"What you do best Doc, go on the forensic evidence and really check out every single detail. You'll continue to have access from the bombings even though the other agencies are all now heading that main investigation. We're still in control of Michael and his parents, at least until they get taken to the main safe house, so we can work the case on that angle without too much interference. They want it all tied up in a bow for them, so we'll given them that much at least. That way, we can continue to work the Dominique angle with the bombing quietly. But, Jane, we've gotta keep this on the down low. They are letting Frost and me investigate Dominique as well as the bombing, and so far, no-one else has put the two events together but us and Michael is considered nothing more than an important witness. The minute they find that connection - we'll be off the case faster than whores jacking off a ..."

"Jesus Korsak, too much information there! For gods sake." Jane glared at him, trying not to let her own frustration win out again, warring with the fact she also wanted to grin at his words, knowing he was deliberately trying to lighten the whole atmosphere. "And you don't have to tell me, not a word about this gets out from any of us! C'mon on Korsak, give us all a bit more credit than that."

Korsak had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. He then looked as all their phones rang at the same time.

"Crap this can't be good."

Jane looked at Frost with disbelief. "Ya think." She pulled her phone out of it's holder. "Rizzoli." She could hear everyone else answering their phones in the background.

* * *

><p>Maura bent down, carefully pulling her dress into the crease at the back of her knees, while Jane and Korsak looked on, Frost taking off to secure the perimeter on Jane's instructions when she realized it was a bad enough scene for him to begin tossing his last meal.<p>

"Hispanic male, young," Maura looked up, "I will..."

"Have more once you get him to the morgue. Yeah, I know the drill." Jane sighed and rubbed her thumbs across the scars on her hands. "Is he linked?"

"Linked?" Maura looked slightly confused.

"To the case we were all discussing before we got called out here."

"Oh, I see." Maura stood up, nodding towards her morgue technicians, who came forward with the body bag and gurney, ready to transport the body. "I cannot determine it at this time, however, it doesn't appear likely."

"Jane, what are you thinking?" Korsak asked, as Jane turned, watching the crowd carefully.

"Hell, I don't know." Jane admitted, as she looked back at two concerned pair of eyes. "I guess I'm hoping Dominique is going to get carried away in her desire to get to me, and make a mistake. He's young, hispanic, and cut up. We know she prefers knives as a weapon of choice, and this just reminds me of the kind of body dump she'd do to prove a point if someone pissed her off."

"Every body we come across is not going to be related to her you know." Korsak regretted his words as soon as he spoke them.

Jane glared at him and stomped angrily away from them.

Korsak rolled his eyes as he realized that he'd put his foot in it again. Catching Maura's eye he grinned ruefully, "I'll get this right eventually. At least now she's more pissed at me."

"She's definitely not her usual charming self at the moment."

Korsak snorted out a laugh. "C'mon Doc, let's get this all back to the precinct, and we'll regroup there. I can start the hunt for the cops who use Diamond and hopefully Jane can get into finding something out from the files we've got so far."

* * *

><p>"Jane."<p>

Jane looked up as a coffee was put down by her elbow, as she slouched into her desk chair.

"Look, I know you're under a lot of pressure with all this." Korsak began, settling down on the chair alongside her desk, putting his own coffee down, adding the sugar and creamer, before stirring it vigorously. "But, you've gotta take a step back..." He put his free hand up, as Jane began to protest. "No, you listen, you know you've gotta be on your best for us to catch Dominique. We've gotta be smart about it, because right now, it's just the four of us able to work the case. Hell, if Cavanaugh even got a sniff that you're helping, he'd throw us all off it without a second thought."

"I know Vince, I know." Jane took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. "God this shit is getting worse each day, I swear."

Korsak grinned slightly, pleased to see Jane settling a little. "Look, I've started putting out the requests to various people about Diamond. I know Frost is looking at the pictures now in a room where he shouldn't get disturbed. You work this new homicide for now, and just take on what you can when you can. We'll need you to be with us the minute we have more."

"Yeah, look you hear any more about Michael and his Mom and Dad yet?"

"They are in a temporary safe house run by us, then the feds are moving them into one of their own in the next day or two. Don't worry about them Jane - they are safe as they can be now."

"So who is Dominique going to go after once she knows they are outta her reach?"

"Truthfully, I don't know. Guess we'll just have to hope we can get enough information before she makes the move."

"I don't like it Vince. She's too quiet. You can't tell me she doesn't know that we've got Michael in protective custody for now."

* * *

><p>Dominique pulled back from the monitors as she watched them obviously completely unaware of her ability to follow their movements as much as she could, a satisfied look on her face. Her smile widened when her cell phone rang, and seeing the name, she answered it immediately.<p>

"Finally, someone I can trust to do the job for me."

A deep laugh rumbled down the phone. "I've told you before, you need something done, don't mess with the kids. I can get a lot more done than they ever can, but you're gonna have to accept I can't always take your call, so you're gonna have to leave messages - but you won't regret it, because I deliver each and every time."

"Yes you can and do." Dominique smiled. "And so, I have to ask, is the rest of the plan in place?"

"It is," Another chuckle erupted, "And they have no idea what is about to happen."

"Good, I'd like to keep it that way."

"Don't worry. I'll be in contact."

Dominique put the phone down, and looked back at her monitors. A finger came out, and she traced down Jane's face, who was frowning as she read a file, her head slightly tilted to the one side. "You, my dear, are not going to know what happened."

Dominique stood up, and strode through to another room, where there were a number of people waiting. The chatter immediately stopped on her entrance, and people turned to watch as she carried on to the lone table there. "Sit."

She watched as there was a scraping of chair legs as people did as she commanded. It was a satisfying sound. Dominique pressed a button on the laptop in front of her, and quickly dimmed the lights, and heads swivelled to the image that appeared across on wall of the room, slightly distorted, but still clear enough for her needs.

"This gentlemen is the start of my retaking of the Boston area. Some of you were here before I was otherwise disposed, but make no mistake. I might not have been here physically, but I was able to do a lot before coming back here."

A small murmur ran through the people sitting, their attention fully on the information now coming up on the wall.

"I have already taken back some of my old territory, and still the police have no idea it was me who made the move. Why would they, when I was still locked away? But, I need to get more. This is not enough for me. I want to get back to where I was before I went away, and to do that, we are about to wage war on all others who stand in our way."  
>Dominique was watching their reactions carefully, and was pleased with what she was seeing. These people were definitely under her control and would do as she wanted without question. She was back. Her smile couldn't be held back this time. It felt good. It felt very good.<p>

* * *

><p>Jane watched as Maura finished sewing up the young man they had picked up earlier.<p>

"I have to wait for the toxicology reports, but for now, I'm happy to conclude that it's a knife, almost certainly a bowie knife, from the shape and pattern, that inflicted the wounds. Not one wound was enough to kill him and he died from exsanguination."

"So, he bled out as a result of his stab wounds."

"Exactly, although not all the wounds are deep, and are more slices in form. Whomever did this had some basic knowledge of the human body, since the slices are all around main arteries. He would have died fairly quickly, but would have been conscious through a lot of it, and most likely in a lot of pain." Maura finished what she was doing, and began to put items into the steriliser before heading towards the biohazard bin, where she pulled her gloves and apron off, throwing them away. "Did you know, the bowie knife is a pattern of fixed-blade fighting knife first popularized by Colonel James also known as Jim, Bowie in the early 19th Century, but it was actually created by someone called James Black."

"Nope, I didn't know that. So it could have been the black knife. Nope, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it." Jane glanced back at the body on the table, before looking back at Maura. "Was there any distinguishing mark on the body made by the blade?"

Maura tilted her head slightly to the left, a crease of a frown appearing on her forehead. "No, not that I have seen. Do you want me to check again?"

Jane slipped a hand out in front of her effectively waving Maura off, "Nah, if you didn't see it first time around, there won't be anything to see."

"Jane?"

Jane scratched the back of her head, then swallowed hard. "I don't know Maura, it's just - something about this body is bugging the hell outta me, and I can't tell if I'm just off my game because of..." Jane didn't need to clarify who she was thinking about, and Maura gave her a brief nod to show her understanding, "Well, you know who, or if she's making a move back into the gang territory and changing her MO, which to be honest with you, I can't see her doing, but hell, Dominique doesn't think like a normal person; like a normal criminal or gang boss, so god knows."

"So, it could be your intestines are off in this instance. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Why did you ask about a mark?"

"Because she would deliberately place a mark that looked like a D. She called it 'her brand', so people in her organisation and beyond knew it was her, not just someone in her organization who did the killing. If it was one of her minions, they would leave a mark that looked more like an S. I never did find out what the symbolization of the S was about. It wasn't until I was there that we found out about the S mark. We'd already put it together about the D - but we had no idea about the S, and it was often overlooked by an ME as being nothing more than a gang mark or just a slip of the knife." Jane finally smiled, "Not everyone is a thorough as you are Maura."

"Whilst that might be true, it is still worrying to think someone else would have dismissed a mark like that so readily."

Jane followed Maura through to her office, closing the door behind them, and she headed to one couch, while Maura settled on her desk chair, putting the file she had done the handwritten notations on down, opening it, and pulled a few papers out to finish the paperwork for the night. The main paperwork could wait until tomorrow. She glanced up at Jane, who was sprawled, her legs splayed out in front of her, head back, eyes closed.

"I'll just do the last of this paperwork, and then we're going home, and we are going to put aside the case, as well as Dominique, because we both need to get some sleep."

Jane's eyes snapped open, and her head shot forward.

"You are not going to argue with me on this Jane. You are exhausted, and if you carry on at the pace you've set yourself lately, you'll be too ill to do anything, let alone catch Dominique, or solve any other cases that land on your desk in the meantime."

Jane grumbled under her breath, but she didn't bother to fight, and just put her head back, closing her eyes again. "Fine, but only because I know you're right. As much as I hate admitting it."

Maura looked up from her paperwork and tapped her pen against her chin, "Jane...are you sure about the mark?" She regretted the question when she heard Jane groan as she sat up.

"Why Maura? What are you doubting? Do you think you missed something?"

"I'm not saying that, it's just. I think I want to look at the body again."

Jane scrambled to her feet shrugging off her weariness, "lets go."

**So…what say you? We'd love to know what you think, and yes Dominique is a bit off but as I've said before I love my lunatics and so does SSA-rtune ;) Feel free to review!**


	21. Chapter 21 D is for Damn!

**A/N: Written with SSA-rtune**

**-And the story continues…I was planning to post on Pick a Target but an explosion was looming in the next chapter and we had the Boston Marathon bombing so its now on hold for a cpl of days…but this isn't! So thanks for still following and reading...**

"Please sit down Jane." Maura looked up briefly from her re-inspection of the body to see her fidgeting with her hands again. She stopped what she was doing and stared at her. "Please."

That simple word coming from Maura that way had the power to subdue her. Jane pulled a seat close and sat. Her shaky legs grateful for the respite. Maura was right, she was past exhausted and she knew she didn't process things well when she was this tired. She hated the fact that once again Dominique was dominating her life.

She waited as patiently as she could for a few minutes before resting her elbows on her knees and leaning forward. "Well?"

Maura's sigh hid a retort. She really did not like to be rushed but she did understand Jane's urgency. She knew too that she was angry with herself for possibly missing a mark like the one that Jane described, but given the state of the body, she now wondered if that was purposeful. She had been trying to understand more about Dominique's psyche since Jane's revelation. The fact that her exposure to Dominique had left Jane so wounded was hurtful to Maura herself. She loved her detective and anyone making her hurt that way, hurt her. Maura smiled as the thought washed over her. It was such a teenager a love thing to think but she understood it now. All she wanted was to get her hands on Dominique herself and make her pay for all she had put Jane through. The thought made her stop abruptly.

"Maur?" Jane got up and placed her hands on Maur's shoulders. "You okay hon?"

"Hmm, yes I am, sorry, wool gathering I guess." Shaking her head she kept working trying to keep her thoughts on the task at hand.

Jane slid her hands off her shoulders and tilted her head at her knowing there was more to it but knowing enough not to push right now. They were all on edge.

"You have to be exhausted too." Jane's voice was calmer than it had been in some time. She had completely ignored the toll this had to be taking on Maura as well. "Do you want to just take a break?"

The shock on Maura's face at Jane's words made her laugh out loud, a deep genuine laugh that hadn't been there for far too long. Maura laughed with her as she realized the look she must have given her.

"Hearing you suggest that we take a break makes me wonder if we all aren't coming a bit undone."

"Unglued, hon." Jane corrected her gently and sighed. "I know I've been a bit...off. I'm sorry it's just."

"Jane, I understand and I want to provide whatever assistance I can. So, sit, let me finish reviewing this and we can go."

Jane took a seat and and crossed her arms against her chest to stop from fidgeting.

"You got it."

* * *

><p>Michael jumped as the door to the bathroom opened. His mother smiled at him as she walked out in her bathrobe. He was pissed at having been caught but now they had dragged his parents into it and made the connection to Dominique. He was dead. The cops thought this was a "safehouse" but he knew better. Dominique had eyes and ears everywhere and once she heard that they had made the connection, he would be paying the price. Unfortunately so would his parents. He grimaced as his mother kissed him on the head.<p>

"Michael, what's wrong?" His mother looked at him carefully, and he knew that face. She wasn't about to let it go.

"I'm sorry." He barely whispered. "I brought this on the family."

"No, that woman brought it on this family." His mother spat out, her anger obvious. She gathered her son into her arms, and held him tight.

Michael allowed himself to relax, even though his insides were churning. He had looked carefully at BPD officers that had so far been a part of the guard detail. He had only ever seen the one officer within the police department that he knew Dominique had her claws in, and hadn't heard mention of others, but he knew her reach was a lot further and wider than he could probably even imagine. He couldn't wait for the handover to the FBI in the morning. While he couldn't discount Dominique having contacts there, he knew it was a lot less likely. He would at least sleep a little easier at night.

"What have I done?" The words were barely a whisper, as his mother, on hearing him grasped his hand, pulling him into the small cramped sitting room, where his father was sitting, a look of devastation on his face. He barely acknowledged them as they moved, to sit on a loveseat, that while clean, had definitely seen better days. Michaels eyes swivelled, as he noted a new officer at the door. He tensed, then forced himself to relax. It wasn't Dominiques man. He had to remind himself they were safer here than he would have been. He would undoubtedly be dead by morning had he been held either in lock up at the station or the local jail.

* * *

><p>"Oh..."<p>

"What?" Jane scrambled to her feet at the tone of Maura's voice.

"I...I found the symbol. I'm sorry I didn't see it before but I attributed it to the series of slashes and stabbings to his flesh."

She was almost afraid to ask "Which symbol is it?"

Maura closed her eyes realizing that what she was about to say was going to create more stress and fear for them both. "D"

"Show me Maura."

"Jane I don't think that's a good idea, maybe..."

"SHOW ME!" Jane immediately regretted yelling when Maura took a step back. She was scared of her, and Jane couldn't blame her since she knew she was being overly and unfairly aggressive. Taking a deep breath, Jane closed her eyes, before slowly opening them again, softening her expression, "Show me, please..."

Maura nodded in response to Jane's plea and waved her down to their victim's lower back. Among the stab wounds were two that were joined to form a perfect letter D. At first glance it looked like a random part of the wounds that were there, but it was clear now that they knew what they were looking for. Jane shook her head silently clenching her hands.

Jane could feel the tension in her hands and she tried to keep herself calm once she realized what this meant.

"Jane...?"

"DAMMIT!" Jane grabbed the only thing within reach and flung it at the far wall.

Maura looked on horrified at the scalpel that was imbedded in the drywall across the room and back at Jane who was standing there red faced and breathing heavily. No heavy bag would resolve this now. She walked over quietly and pulled the scalpel from the wall dropping it into the sink and washing her hands. She was trying to give Jane time to compose herself but after a quick glance she realized that wasn't going to happen.

Jane spoke before Maura did. "I need you to keep this out of your report." her voice was flinty and uncaring.

"I most certainly will not!" Maura walked up up to her. "How dare you ask me to falsify an autopsy!"

"I'm not..." Jane slapped her hand down on the counter. "Don't you see, we can't put that in there. You can't put that in there. If you do then the Feds will take this case away too."

"I will not falsify a report Jane."

"Fine! Don't! That's not what I'm asking you to do anyway. I'm just asking you to leave it out." Bluster gone she sat down. "Shit Maur, can't you just...I mean can't you just submit your original report and then maybe file an addendum like Pike does?" The moment she said it she knew it was a mistake.

"I am NOT Dr. Pike! I do not have to file addendums because I am thorough and honest and quite honestly I cannot believe you would even ask me something like this, its lying. What is this doing to you?"

Jane considered the woman in front of her and didn't just hear the disappointment in her voice, she felt it in her heart but seeing that letter D had frightened her to her very core. The image of the pictures of Maura they had found flashed through her head and the idea of Maura in Dominique's clutches...

Realizing the mistake she had made, Jane shifted gears. "Can you?" Seeing the look in Maura's eyes that were cold enough to freeze molten lava, she shifted again. "Will you please at least..ah...fuck Maur..can you at least not mention any connection to Dominique? Maybe just say that one of the wounds was shaped like a D. If I hadn't said anything to you, you wouldn't have even noted that...and if you had taken another look tomorrow and found it then rather than now, you would still be filing an addendum."

Maura heard what she was saying but didn't like it, even if it was true. Personal conflict was something she was not very familiar with, so when something bothered her she had no filters and said what she thought; but this? This was work and it went against her very nature to do something that seemed so underhanded.

"Jane I do not feel comfortable doing anything of the sort."

Jane felt the anger and frustration she had boil to the surface and swallowed it. This was Maura, not Dominique and this was now, not years ago. Pushing her chair back she looked at the woman she loved and feared for and made her final plea. "Time Maura. I'm just asking for some time. I'm not asking you to lie. Do what you need to do. Do your job, and I'll do mine." Walking away she stopped at the door. "I'll be at my desk when you're ready to go."

Maura watched her walk away and wiped at the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

"Damn you Jane Rizzoli." she whispered.

* * *

><p>Jane ignored the hellos as she went back upstairs to her desk. They were just a few but the station never closed. Looking at her watch she looked toward Korsak's desk and spotted the file on his desk that dealt with Dominique. She didn't care anymore. Walking over she grabbed it and brought it to her desk. She stared at it for a few minutes before she finally opened it. The first thing she saw was her own picture. Hers and Dan's. No matter what she would be forever tied to this woman and it killed her a little inside whenever she thought of it. Turning a page she looked at the picture of Dominique as Jane knew her then, right next to it was the mug shot that was taken after her arrest. She pulled out her own report and started to read through it. It was the longest she had ever filed, pieced together from notes she had taken while undercover. She didn't know how long she was there reading before she was handed a tissue.<p>

Looking up she saw the concern on Maura's face as she realized she had been crying.

"Thanks." she said gruffly. She ignored Maura's eyes and continued to read. "Are we ready to go?"

Maura understood the deflection and allowed it. "Here is the autopsy report on your victim."

Jane accepted the file and looked in Maura's eyes to see if she could tell what the report said without opening it, but she couldn't.

"Cause of death is exsanguination. Further examination of the body showed numerous wounds that appeared to overlap in curious patterns but do not appear to have any significance." Taking a breath Maura continued, "I may have to re-examine the body at a later date to insure that is indeed the case." Pausing she waited to see if her words sunk in. "since I'm not overly sure if there is significance to the wounds or not. I'm tired, so don't wish to make any conclusions at this time about them, other than they ultimately caused him to bleed out." The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt Jane but she couldn't compromise her values. This was all she could see to do.

Jane heard her loud and clear and was stunned. She stared at the file and dropped it like it burnt her hand and stared back up at Maura, allowing herself to show just what she knew Maura had done - for her.

"Understood. I'm ready if you are." Jane got up a took her hand giving it a quick squeeze. "Let's go home."

**So…we would love some feedback. Our story is mapped out for the most part it just gets to be a bit difficult to connect as SSA-rtune is in England and I'm in the states. We truly do write collaboratively and connecting can be twitchy at times. But we continue as long as you all want us to. So, what do you think so far?**


	22. Chapter 22 Death is all around us

**A/N: Written with ssa-rtune. Surprised? Hehe, me too…but collaborative does work! So, since we owe you guys updates, here's another! Plus I will be updating Pick a Target in the next day or so….Oh! and not to forget, the epilogue for Dear Maura and FINALLY the next Silence is a Virtue chapter….geez…too many….I'm dizzy….anyway, here goes….**

Michael woke up to the sound of the gunfire ripping through the crappy apartment. It was taking out the drywall as if it were tissue paper. He tried to duck, but was stopped in his tracks as someone in full combat gear came crashing through his door, splintering it so it was now a thousand and more matchsticks on the floor. He couldn't tell if it was a good or bad guy! It was then he felt the warmth spread out from his crotch. He couldn't believe he'd peed himself. Putting his hands up slowly, he was otherwise frozen to the spot.

The man stood still for a second, and then moved with a speed that Michael didn't think was possible. He was suddenly being hauled up by the tee shirt collar, and then dragged back out of the room. His eyes widened in horror as he spotted his parents, both bound and gagged, thrown on the floor. His mother whimpered through her gag, while his fathers eyes were burning with pure rage. As the terror settled, he began to flail out, his hands twisting to try and gain a grip, but his one hand was simply twisted back, and he felt his vision fade as the snap was heard, seconds after the pain hit. Then his hands were quickly secured, how he wasn't sure. All he felt now was the pain of the broken arm, and the fear. He knew he and his family were dead. A rag was then stuffed in his mouth and secured with a piece of duct tape.

"You're not going to like this." The man spoke with a glint in his eye as he pulled off the face mask he had on. He turned and without hesitation put a bullet between the eyes of both his parents. Stifling a sob, desperately not wanting to choke on his gag, Michael looked back at the eyes of the cop that he knew was under Dominique's control. He barely had time to think about it all, when he was being slung over the mans shoulder, in a firemans lift as the man strode out full of confidence, and within seconds, had flung Michael into the trunk of the waiting car. The trunk was slammed shut with a resounding bang, and it was then Michael finally fainted.

The whole incident had taken place in mere minutes.

* * *

><p>Jane stood silently amongst the devastation, as Korsak bent down to look at something on the floor. He carefully placed a CSU marker, and using a pen picked up a bullet casing.<p>

".357 SIG cartridge. Most likely a from a Glock. So it looks like a high powered rifle took out the walls, but a handgun was used to slaughter the people here." With a shake of his head, Korsak dropped the casing in an evidence bag and handed it off to a technician standing nearby.

"Figures." Jane spun around on her heels. "This has Dominique written all over it. And dammit Korsak, only a handful of us knew about this place! Michael and his family should have been locked up tighter than a duck's ass! Whoever did this was in and out before any officers could respond and be on scene. Fuck! This has to be a dirty cop Korsak. Maybe more than one?"

"Because only a handful of people knew about this, it'll narrow down our suspect pool." Korsak could feel the anger almost vibrating off Jane. This was becoming an almost ridiculous situation. Cavanaugh had only allowed Jane here by the skin of her teeth and they both knew it.

"No it won't." Jane ran a hand through her hair, as she continued to take in the scene around them. "She's too careful, and he'll know we'll immediately begin looking at those who knew about all this. He's smart."

"So, we get Frost to search for any hack into this information on the computer. Hell, as much as we kept this on the down low, we had to use some protocol and put something down for this place. It wasn't perfect..." Korsak's voice trailed off and he suddenly looked worried. Jane spun around to follow his gaze.

"Oh for fucks sake, as if today couldn't get any worse." Jane squared up to the man who had just walked in, fists clenched to her sides. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Jane." Agent Gabriel Dean kept his voice neutral as he carefully stepped around the seething brunette. "It appears you have a slight problem on your hands."

He didn't get any further as Jane's fist swung out and he found himself on the floor. Korsak leapt forward, grabbing Jane around the waist, and pulled her away.

"Aw shit!" Korsak said as he only just managed to control the still struggling Detective, as she landed an elbow in his gut.

Maura walked in seconds later, having been in the small kitchen area, dealing with the bodies of two of the officers who had been on guard. She immediately stopped in her tracks as Dean slowly got to his feet.

"Good to see you as well Jane." Dean said, as he worked his jaw, a frown on his face.

"You fucker!"

Jane screamed, as she finally ripped out of Korsak's hold, and launched herself towards the man in front of them, before squarely hitting Maura full on, who without a second thought put her body between the two of them. Maura stumbled for a second from the impact and Jane's momentum, before regaining her balance. A hand quickly came out, as her eyes caught Jane's.

"Jane, please. Don't."

The softly spoken words were enough to stop Jane who swallowed hard, her jaw clenched. She looked over Maura's shoulder, a finger pointing, her anger still barely contained.

"You better fucking get out of our case, or I'll splatter you across whatever surface you're standing on at the time, and then I'll scoop you up and splatter you again a second time for good measure!"

"Jane." Maura's hand tightened slightly on Jane's forearm and seeing Jane nod almost imperceptibly, getting the understanding she needed, she then turned to face Dean properly.

He actually stepped back as he saw the fury raging in the usually calm medical examiner's eyes. He'd expected a lot of things walking in, including the likelihood of Jane hitting him. This he was not expecting!

* * *

><p>"Ah, you're awake."<p>

Michael fought the urge to vomit, and it was then he realized he was upright, strapped down in a hard wooden chair and he no longer had a rag stuffed in his mouth. His eyes traveled up, and he shivered as he saw the man who had brought him here, and Dominique standing just behind him. She smiled, and walked around the man, so she was now standing right in front of him.

"Michael, I'm disappointed in you." Her voice was level and sounded sincere, even though her eyes were flat and void of any emotion. "I mean really, somos familia. Family look out for each other."

He went to speak, but she put a finger up.

"Oh no, you just listen for now. Escuchame bien."

His mouth slammed shut as he fought back the fresh wave of nausea.

"Good boy." Dominique gently patted one cheek, before she pulled out a knife. She spun it around on the tip, which was resting on one index finger. "So, I need to know, what did you tell the police? And - " She paused as the knife began to run down his cheek where her hand had been only seconds earlier, blood running freely, "Then I will deal with your desgracia."

She pressed down even harder, and turned, "Put the music on."

She then began to whistle along as the first cuts took hold. The questions fired out between tracks. She was humming by the time he was begging her for mercy. And singing at the top of her voice as she ended with a flourish, the 'D' standing out this time. Subtlety was not required here. She wanted them to be absolutely sure this was her work.

She stepped back and turned to the man who had remained motionless throughout. "You know what to do."

With a nod, he moved, pulling the corpse up and wrapping it in the plastic already laid out, he picked what remained of Michael as if he weighed nothing at all. He found himself whistling to one of the tunes that had been playing as he walked outside, putting the body back into the same trunk that had been used to bring him here.

* * *

><p>Cavanaugh closed the door on the conference room, as Jane paced the other side of the long table, her eyes shooting daggers at Dean, who had settled down in a chair. Korsak and Maura were both sitting opposite, and he sighed as he sat at the head of the table, a couple of files already in front of him. He sent a look at Jane, who huffed, before sitting down next to Maura, and he noticed she had put as much distance as possible between her and this FBI idiot. He hoped it was to try and stop herself from lunging across the table and strangling Dean, which if Cavanaugh was being honest, he felt like doing right about now anyway.<p>

Cavanaugh cleared his throat, "Agent Dean, what did you hope to achieve by walking in on an active BPD crime scene?"

"Not like he hasn't done it before. The fucker." Jane grumbled, but shut up as Maura put a hand out to grip her fisted hand that was resting on the tabletop.

Dean swallowed, before taking a deep breath, "The FBI were going to take charge of this family today. Yet, we find that two of the family are dead, as are three BPD officers, and the main witness you say is important to your investigation is now missing, presumed dead. It's a disturbing turn of events, and the FBI feel that you don't have control of your department, and so we're taking this case as one of our own -"

He didn't get any further as this time it was Korsak's fist that slammed down on the table, "Now just wait one god damn minute! You can't just walk in here and take over our case over something like that!"

"We can, and I have." Dean replied, keeping his voice calm, even though he was beginning to feel as if he had entered the lions den. Maura's face for the most part had remained impassive, but now she allowed the anger she had shown earlier to resurface. Her voice was icily clear as she spoke.

"So, we have to trust you to do such an excellent job, just like you managed to do in the Craig Hill homicide and arson investigation. Whereby your direct actions resulted in you being shot, and Detective Rizzoli, a decorated BPD detective I might add, being investigated by crooked IAD officials." Maura raised her eyebrows, a slight humorless smile crossing her lips, "You Agent Dean, have so far done nothing in any investigations you've been involved in with the BPD. On each occasion, it was the tireless efforts of Detectives Rizzoli, Korsak and Frost that apprehended the suspects. You were merely a help in clearing through certain red tape and need to know from within the FBI with the Hoyt investigation. From that information, it was the BPD who captured Hoyt and his apprentice. Not the FBI. Most certainly not you! Make no mistake, Jane, Vince and Barry would have still come to the same conclusion. It might have taken a little longer, but there is no doubt in my mind it still would have happened. You are a bane in our existence and effectively a useless little toad."

Jane actually snorted out a laugh, before smothering her mouth with her free hand, as Dean's mouth virtually fell open, while Korsak settled back in his chair, a shit eating grin on his face. Even Cavanaugh smiled as he leaned forward ever so slightly.

"I think Doctor Isles covered that rather well." His eyes hardened as Dean tore his eyes away from Maura, who had met his gaze with total indifference, "And I have already put a call into the chief of police, as well as the mayor and your superior..."

Seeing the look of surprise of Dean's face, Cavanaugh bit back his own chuckle, "And while I wasn't able to stop you being here, much to my regret, I did secure the order that this case remains within the jurisdiction of the BPD. More specifically, within the homicide unit, and Detectives Korsak, Rizzoli and Frost are all tasked as being the ones to investigate. You wanna play in our sand pit Dean, you've gotta take being pissed on. This is the end of the discussion."

With that Cavanaugh rose, grabbing the files in front of him, as Korsak, Jane and Maura also rose, and quickly followed him out of the door. He stopped once they were a short distance away, turning to face the others.

"Don't let me down. I had to call in a lot of favors to keep you all on this case. But Doctor Isles was right in there - you were the ones who solved the cases when Dean the bean was here last time - make sure you do it again.

Without waiting for a response, he walked off. He could hear the light laughter as he strode off, a smile still on his face.

* * *

><p>No one saw who dumped the body. The cameras that surrounded the area around the police station only caught glimpses of the person. Large and definitely male but otherwise unidentifiable. Whoever it was definitely was aware of the cameras and their coverage.<p>

Michael was butchered. Even Maura shuddered at the sight of him, first when she arrived on scene, but especially when she saw the mark that was very clearly left on his body. It was almost a dare. To them, and especially to Jane, to catch her. As she looked over at her detective she could clearly see what it was costing her to yet again maintain her calm. Maura also knew Jane would be blaming herself, even though there was nothing they could have done differently. She wondered again about what Jane had been through with Dominique. There was more, definitely more than what Jane had let on so far and the fear that emanated from her whenever she herself was out of Jane's sight chilled her. She thought back to the doctored photos of her and had to quell the spasm of panic that washed over her. Shaking her head she turned back to the body and tried to still the trembling in her hands.

Jane was stewing, and she forced herself to take yet another deep breath. She watched as Maura worked diligently, but she knew there would be little, or nothing, to find. At least forensically.

"He's getting cocky." Jane said as Korsak approached her. Jane then slowly spun around, taking in the view of the precinct, "He dumped right on our doorstep. Almost certainly where he works as well, and that cockiness is what's going to bring him down."

"I dunno." Korsak said, looking tired, "If he is one of us, and I think he is, he'll know our procedures. Our methods. Whoever dumped the body knew exactly how to avoid being made. Knew the cameras, their placement. You know there are a couple of hidden cams here, and he knew exactly where they were as well."

"That's exactly my point Korsak. Sure, Dominique would want us to find Michael, and find him fast. She also wanted us to know without a doubt it was her who did this - the mark is absolute this time. But I can't see Dominique saying to dump here specifically. I'm not saying she wouldn't approve of the location, but she'd also know, the closer to home you bring it - the riskier it becomes. He's gonna be the one to lead us to her Vince. I know it."

The fire burned in her eyes. The absolute conviction she was correct, and Korsak could only pray to whatever God was listening that Jane was right.

* * *

><p>Dominique clenched her teeth as she watched the news. What was the idiot thinking! She had told him quite clearly to drop the body where Jane would find it, not on the doorstep of the Boston Police. Rubbing her temples she got up and paced, running through what the police' immediate reaction would be. What Jane's reaction would be. Turning back she caught a glimpse on the screen of Jane and sat down.<p>

Jane was rubbing the medical examiner's shoulder as they spoke and grabbed her bag as she finished what she was doing.

That simple act was enough to stoke the rage burning inside her. Jane was hers, not anyone elses and certainly not the medical examiner's. She continued to watch the background, ignorant to what what was being said, until Jane was no longer in the screen. Reaching over Dominique picked up the file that had been prepared for her and started to read through it. Her contacts had done a wonderful job gathering the information she had asked for.

Jane's life since she had betrayed her was an open book for her now as was her precious doctor's. Dominique was ready. She was ready to take back what was hers but not before she made pay. Maura Isles was the key. She picked up the picture in the file of the two of them together and ripped it in half. Pulling out her knife she stabbed Maura into the table and then gently folded up Jane's picture and put it in her pocket.

"Ah mi amor...you will be mine again."

* * *

><p>"Jane?"<p>

Jane stopped what she was doing, and looked across at Maura, who was shifting uncomfortably on her feet, "Okay, whatever this is about, lets get in the car first. It looks and sounds important and I don't want ears that shouldn't be listening in."

Nodding Maura opened the car door, and slid into the passenger seat as Jane settled into the drivers side. Jane they swivelled slightly so she could face Maura more fully.

"Out with it."

"I just..." Maura took a deep breath, "Jane I can't do what you asked me to earlier. With the autopsy..." Seeing Jane's slightly blank expression, Maura forged on, "The 'D' marking. I could get away with no reporting it straight away once, but this..."

Jane put a hand up, stopping Maura in her tracks, "Yeah, I get you." Jane paused as she gave it some thought, "And listen, I'm not gonna ask you to this time. For one thing, that 'D' on Michael is big and obvious. Plenty of other cops saw the scene before we did - and that means we couldn't hide it if we tried. What we can do though is report to Cavanaugh once you complete the autopsy, and I'm pretty sure he'll put a block on the information going to the Feds or to Dean. I know Dean's going to be in the background on this, but you can bet Cavanaugh will keep it on a need to know basis with him - and this - he definitely doesn't need to know!"

"Oh thank you." Maura's shoulders slumped in pure relief, and she smiled as Jane settled properly into her seat.

Leaning over Jane kissed her tenderly on the cheek before she could respond. "C'mon lets get outta here! We need rest otherwise we're not gonna be able to keep our eyes open."

He stood and watched as Jane's cruiser left the parking garage, a smile on his face. So far, he'd heard they were stumped, and he was satisfied to know he had done a good job.

**So…comments? And just an FYI to assuage any feelings of concern, this is a Rizzles fic. I love me some Jane and Maura and so does ssa-rtune so keep that in mind. These women are committed to each other heart and soul which makes what Dominique has in mind all the more scary…'nuff said.**


	23. Chapter 23 The Dreams that haunt us

**A/N: Written with ssa-rtune.**

***Trigger Warning* Wow I think I've only really done this one other time…anyway, we are delving into Jane's background with Dominique and its not pretty. It involves rape and torture. (My crazies only seem to get crazier) So forewarned people.**

Maura watched Jane carefully as she hung up her jacket and dropped onto the couch. She was rubbing her shoulder absently confirming for Maura that at least part of Jane's behavior was due to the level of discomfort she must be feeling.

Biting her lip she hesitated before approaching her.

Jane groaned as Maura's fingers began a gentle manipulation of her neck and shoulders. Flinching a bit when Maura rubbed a particular sore spot, before she relaxed into the massage she knew full well she didn't deserve. What an ass she'd been. What the hell was wrong with her anyway?

She hated the way she had treated Maura and even though he friggin well deserved it, she couldn't believe she had actually decked Dean.

"Fuck."

"Language Jane."

"Maura I'm sorry."

She stopped, hesitating. Jane obviously needed to talk and while she wished she could just go back to the time before Dominique had gotten out, she knew that reality was here, now, with Jane.

"I'm sorry too Jane."

Surprised Jane spun around on the couch and caught Maura's hands in her own.

"Maura Isles you have nothing... absolutely nothing to be sorry for!" The fierceness in her voice brought a smile to Maura's face as she heard the old Jane in her tone. She missed that Jane.

"I've been an ass and I will probably continue to be one when it comes to this case. I'm just..." letting Maura go she let herself drop back onto the couch and waited for Maura to sit next to her.

Looking at her hands she tried to still the trembling she saw there. "I'm scared Maura. I'm scared for you. Dominique..." she swallowed thickly before she spoke again. "Dominique is the most dangerous person I've ever met. She beats Hoyt, hands down."

Maura sucked in her breath at that comment. Hoyt was what her nightmares were filled with, weren't they?

"All of your nightmares haven't been just about Hoyt, have they?" The gentleness in her voice brought tears to Jane's eyes when she realized that Måura was beginning to understand.

"No," she said hoarsely, "they never were." She didn't know how to tell her about what she was when she was with Dominique. The things she watched her do. But she had to. Someone else had to know what Dominique was capable of. It was time someone had the full picture and not just pieces.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to Jane." Maura could tell what it was costing Jane to even admit the little she had.

Jane had promised herself she would never speak of what she had gone through. In her mind it was the past, dead and buried, but Dominique's release had resurrected everything. She had already all but admitted to sleeping with her. What she hadn't confessed to or ever reported were the worst of the things that she made Jane watch and participate in.

"I need to tell someone Maura, its eating me up that I never told. I was embarrassed, horrified, complicit."

"Complicit?" Maura didn't mean to interrupt but Jane's choice of words was just too specific to not have a further meaning.

Jane leaned her head back and closed her eyes, she couldn't look at her and she didn't want to see how Maura responded to what she had to say.

"I was witness to a lot of things that Dominique was never charged with. She would...she liked to hurt people Maura. Women specifically." She paused, it was now or never. "She raped them Maura and made me watch."

"But how-"

"I was tied up Maura, I was her bitch! The things she did to those women was disgusting. She didn't kill them all, just some. The ones that survived would never forget her you know and not because of the rape. Just like I can't."

Maura tried to control the shock she was feeling at Jane's words. This was not Jane. Her Jane would never allow anyone to do what this woman had done. Her confusion must have shown in her face.

"I didn't fight her Maura. It was part of the job you get it? I fucking played along and then never reported any of it! I'm as much a murderer and rapist as much as Dominique was whether I touched the victims or not!"

Maura was stunned. This was impossible. It just didn't make sense that the BPD didn't know what this woman was into before sending Jane in like that. Let alone what Jane was trying to convey now.

"But...but what about Vince, Dan...didn't they know who this woman was? Why wouldn't they say something? Why wouldn't they warn you? Or help you more?"

"I tried Maur!" Jane's voice was full of anguish. Years of self-loathing and horrific memories fighting for a position in her heart. "When I first mentioned the torture, Dan told me to stick with it, it didn't happen all the time, blah, blah, blah..." She sat up straight as another terrifying thought struck her. "Why did he say that? Dismiss my reports so readily? Was it Dan? Maura could Dan have known?" She shook her head vehemently, "No! Dan would never..." uncertainty colored her words.

"Jane, maybe he was involved, then again, maybe he wasn't. Someone obviously knew something. Why would they have sent you in without knowing that this woman would be attracted to you." She considered Jane thoughtfully. "You were specifically chosen for this weren't you?"

"Yeah I was. Everyone said this would be my time to shine, I would have my pick of slots after this. Two fucking years of my life Maura! I thought it was to get in because of Tommy to begin with, and I wanted to protect him so bad, but you know what, I soon realized that wasn't why I was there." Jane got to her feet and started to pace. There was so much, so much more. God.

"You know I was undercover for almost two years Maura. It took almost six months just to get set up so that Dominique would meet with me. After that it was up to me, but she had a type and I was it. It didn't take long before..." She flushed red as she remembered Dominique's advances. At first she had actually been romantic. And Jane had been fearful of actually falling for her but when she saw her in action any sentiment was killed and Jane had vowed to not allow Dominique to get away with the things she had done.

Maura stood up, and grasping one of Jane's hand, forced her to sit back down.

"Jane, you listen to me. Did you have any choice? I mean this - could you have got out without risking yourself or those around you at the time?"

"That's not..."

"It is important to answer that question Jane. Did you try and stop things when you could? You said yourself that if you heard of someone being a target of Dominique's and you could, you got word to Dan or Vince - and they then arranged for that person to be hidden. For the hit or beating, whatever Dominique had arranged to be staged. Didn't you?"

"Yeah, we did." Jane replied, but begrudgingly. She wasn't about to admit anything other than wrongdoing on her part. She didn't want to show otherwise.

"And you've said that you tried to talk to Dan. He dismissed your concerns. Gave you orders to stay with it. Vince was also around, and he didn't say anything to you - so for whatever reason, they didn't associate what you were trying to tell them to how the reality for you was. So, you didn't report it all, but would it have helped? Didn't you already have more than enough evidence to put this woman away for a very long time - barring this situation, which you could not have envisaged. Would you have been able to track the victims? Did you even know names; locations where they lived or where the bodies were left? Get those who lived to testify? Deep down, you know the answer to that is no, and sweetheart, I can understand why you didn't say anything about what you went through."

Maura took a deep breath knowing what she was about to say was going to lift the lid on Jane's temper again, "Jane, you are as much a victim as anyone else."

Jane jumped up quickly, a finger coming out, anger spilling over, "No! No! I am disgusting! I..." Jane faltered as tears began to spill down her cheeks, and she wiped them away vigorously. "Don't you see, I was there! I was there Maura! I watched... No... Damn you!" The last words were agonizing to hear, as the pain Jane was experiencing was obvious.

Maura stood up, and despite Jane trying to push her off, she wrapped her arms around Jane tightly, "You might have been there, but you said it yourself, you were tied down. Defenseless. You couldn't have changed a thing in that position. You tried to get those who were in a position to listen and they didn't. Was Dan, to use your own words, complicit? I have no idea, but - and this is important - he was certainly at fault for not listening to you - for taking your concerns and trivializing them. Jesus Jane, what did she do to you?"

The last words were barely a whisper as Jane sobbed into her shoulder, her whole body shaking. After a few minutes, Jane pulled away, rubbing her hand down her face, before she went to sit back down again. She grabbed a tissue, blew her nose and watched as Maura sat next to her.

"You really want to know what she did to me?" Jane asked slowly.

"I don't, but I know I have to." Maura admitted, still shaken by the conversation they'd already had. How much more did Jane have to confess? Just how much had she been keeping inside all these years. "I asked the question earlier, why couldn't you or others forget what Dominique had done? You made it sound more than just the memories, although those must be bad enough."

Jane nodded. Maura slowly stood in front of her ready and willing to support, to listen to her. Her soul felt lighter than it had in some time but there was still the one thing.

"She marks her victims, remember?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but Maura heard her just as if she had shouted it.

"Jane..."

Jane unbuckled her pants and pulled one side down a bit to show her. There, hidden along her bikini line was a distinctive D. It wouldn't be obvious unless you were looking specifically, or if someone was intimate with Jane. Biting her lip she waited until she was sure Maura had seen it and pulled her pants back up quickly.

Maura's hand covered her mouth as she looked into Jane's eyes. Dominique had branded her as she had surely branded her other victims.

"I tried to fight her Maur...I did but the "relationship" we had was...well...I was supposed to let her be the dominant one. When I wasn't..." she stopped as she tried to figure out how to explain how she had been branded, what Dominique did to her.

"She brought a woman back with her one night. This woman, her name was Mariah, she had betrayed her. Used her drugs instead of selling them. Dominique was beyond pissed. She beat that woman so badly Maur and I had to watch. She was about to rape her when I did try to stop her, couldn't let her do that. Bitch cold cocked me. When I woke up she had Mariah spread eagle on the bed and she was just sitting there, waiting for me to wake up. Kept apologizing to me in Spanish. I didn't care that I was undercover anymore. I tried to get free but she had me hogtied. It was all about power for her."

"Jane, I hate to ask, but earlier you made it sound as if being there while Dominique raped other women happened more than once, but now, it sounds as if it was just one occasion?" Maura was still trying to put the events into the right order in her head. She was frankly reeling with it all.

"She did it other times. Tied me and made me watch I mean, and yeah, she'd rape these women and then brand them." Jane clarified, "But this was the one and only time I tried to do something about it. Before that, I'd just been there, being made to watch. I dunno why this Mariah was different? I just... Hell, no I do know why it was different." Jane shook her head, "I mean, god, she just had to always be in fucking control. I would never fully submit to her, and I think she found one part of that amusing. She'd tell me that she could have her pick of any woman, usually while she was fucking them, but that I was the only one she had chosen to be with! With Mariah, for whatever reason I wasn't tied up first, so I could react. Otherwise, I was already down and out before the women were led in like lambs to the fucking slaughter."

Maura listened to the way Jane spoke and realized what this was all costing her. What it had cost her then, but she wasn't finished.

"You know that I don't use drugs, right Maur?" At her horrified nod Jane continued, "That night, with Mariah, after I came round, she injected me with some hallucinogen. Never did find out what it was. I was gone Maur. Couldn't figure out up or down. The more I fought, the tighter the ropes got. That's when she marked me. Somewhere along the way she loosened the ropes but by then...I get the whole pink elephants and monster crap that people see when they're tripping. Man, do I ever I get it. She was a monster. I saw the real her that day with those drugs. I didn't see Dominique, just fucked up version of her, with pointed teeth, with blood dripping from them - and that's just the start of it. The next day my nightmares started. They never stopped. Sometimes she and Hoyt get mixed up in my head and well..." Jane considered the woman in front of her sadly. "You've been on the receiving end of some of those nightmares."

Drugs? Jane was drugged? Maura was desperately trying to understand how she could have been so alone in this. She could hear the shame in her voice and ignored it.

"What happened to Mariah?"

"Her body turned up a couple of blocks from the Robber actually, throat slit, wearing my shirt. Dominique wanted to make sure I was hers." Jane sat down and waited.

"But...then that means that you would have been a suspect. They would have tested the shirt, they would have... DNA... " Maura hated being flustered and this fact, no all of it had her quite flustered.

"Exactly...we took her down a couple of weeks later. We had almost everything we needed but no one would pull the trigger. The powers that be finally decided that enough was enough. Even they decided I couldn't be accused of murder. The bitch had set me up on that one." It was ironic Jane thought, but one betrayal had led to the other.

"Oh Jane." Sitting down next to her she took the other woman into her arms. Tonight Maura was determined to be the strong one. She would ward off Jane's nightmares as long as she let her.

Jane sobbed silently against her breast. She hated crying but she actually felt stronger than she had in some time. Maura was not only the first person to hear all this, but was the first person who had put it into perspective for her. There were still a few things that Maura needed to know and Maura had raised some extremely valid points that Jane wanted to follow up on but for now, Jane was exactly where she belonged.

**So there you have it. When I created/envisaged Dominique, she was the person you read about above. Its taken a bit to get there. Things will definitely be getting hinky from here on and thanks to Harry Potter and this collaboration I now use bugger in my vocabulary…sigh...**

**FYI-in case you Rizzles shippers haven't figured it out yet Jane & Maura are canon in my eyes and they are each other's salvation. Always.**


	24. Chapter 24 Nightmares are real

**A/N: Wow! The response to the last chapter was amazing. Thanks to everyone who commented or read from both sea-rtune and myself. Now, no trigger warning but just a brief mention regarding the Boston bombing. If you recall Dominique shook things up in an earlier chapter with a bombing and will be shaking things up again. We mean no disrespect to the people or victims of Boston. So, on that note, here we go.**

Maura hung up the phone and looked over at Jane. It had taken some time last night but she had finally fallen asleep and as she had promised, Maura was there when Jane woke up from a vicious nightmare. The fact that she, Maura, was the focus of those nightmares worried her. Jane was a strong woman, the strongest woman Maura had ever met but last night she had seen the walls that she had built up crumble, and crumble in a pretty dramatic fashion. Maura had seen a side of Jane she didn't think existed and yet it was all Jane; who she was, who she loved.

If she ever had any doubt as to what she felt for Jane or what Jane truly felt for her, they dissolved the moment that Jane confided in her. She hated to wake her but Frost needed them to come in and review some information. Leaning over she brushed her lips along Jane's forehead, smiling as Jane murmured in her sleep.

It was moments like these that Maura treasured. Jane was always moving, reacting, responding. Being able to appreciate her like this when she wasn't injured was a blessing.

"Jane" she whispered.

"Don't wanna," she grumbled, rolling over and throwing an arm across Maura's waist.

The elicited tickle in her stomach made Maura blush as she realized just how close Jane was to her. They hadn't taken their relationship to the next level yet but moments like these made her wish they had.

"Jane honey, we need to get up." She kissed her gently and pushed her away a bit. It was enough to fully wake her.

"What time is it?" Her voice was huskier than usual, but then crying, then falling asleep, will do that.

"6:00. Frost called, we need to get to the station." Rubbing Jane's shoulder unconsciously she realized she was making herself even more uncomfortable and stopped abruptly, a movement that Jane did not fail to notice.

"Hey, you okay? Is it about what I told you last night?" Worry colored her voice.

"Oh...no Jane, I'm sorry, it was just...well we are in a rather intimate position right now." Her eyes reflected the smile on her face.

"Oh..."Jane seemed to suddenly realize how they were lying and sat up quickly. Blushing she ran her hands through her hair. "Sorry Maur."

Maura leaned forward and pulled her back. "Please don't say you're sorry, not for something like this, and certainly not for last night. I'm just glad you were able to speak to me about it."

"You're the only one I could ever have told all of that to." Jane swallowed before she spoke again. "I love you Maura and when this is all over I hope you will give me the chance to show you."

Maura kissed her shyly, "I will definitely hold you to that detective."

Jane pretty much stumbled up the steps into the precinct, holding onto the coffee Maura had insisted they stop for as if her life depended on it - which right now, felt like that was indeed the case. She was absolutely dead on her feet, and she barely missed walking into the man who came up to her as she and Maura went through security, before they headed towards the elevators.

"Rizzoli."

Jane's bleary eyes blinked, as she took in the man standing there. "Ben. What the...?"

Surprise colored her tone, as Maura looked on puzzled. It was obvious Jane knew the man, but Maura couldn't place him, yet he had a detective's shield attached to his belt, in much the same manner Jane had hers on.

Jane swung around, "Maura, this is Detective Benjamin Matthews. We were on the drug unit at the same time, although we didn't work together. After I left, he partnered up with Dan and like him, has been there ever since..." Jane's voice betrayed the sadness she didn't have to fake talking about Dan, knowing that Dan and his family were hidden and their lives at the moment would never be the same again.

Ben held out a hand, which Maura shook. He turned his attention back to Jane, "I'm so sorry about Dan. I've been deep undercover, and while I heard the news, I couldn't break from where I was until today. I wasn't expecting you in, and I was just heading home, so it's good our paths crossed. Saves me having to hunt you down later."

"No, that's fine - I understand." Jane took in his appearance, and could see the same haunted expressions so often worn when someone went undercover like that. "You done now then on what you were doing?"

"Yeah, Dan came out a little ahead of me, took some of the intelligence and evidence we'd gathered with him for the brass and DA's office to review it all. Once we knew they were happy to prosecute, we made the arrests as quickly as possible. It's what I've been dealing with now. Booking and paperwork." His voice trailed off.

"Know what you're doing next?" Jane asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, his haunted expression deepening, "Honestly, I haven't got a clue. I lost my partner, and right now, I'm not sure if I wanna stay with the unit. My LT's given me a temporary assignment into SVU that I'll be taking up once I've cleared this case through the system. Not a helluva lot better than drugs, but it'll give me a chance to look at it all. See where the hell I go from here."

Jane looked thoughtful, "Listen, we lost one of our lot to retirement, and haven't replaced him yet. How about I ask Cavanaugh if he'll take you on, at least on a temporary basis."

Ben chewed his bottom lip, "As good as that would be - I couldn't impose on a friendship like that. I know you don't know me as well as Dan - but... "

Jane shook her head, "Nope, it's nothing. Think of this for Dan. Besides, Cavanaugh might shoot me down or have someone else in mind." Jane fumbled in her jacket pocket, still holding the coffee, as she awkwardly managed to pull a card out, which she handed over, "My extension for here is on there, plus my cell. You ever need me, you call. Besides, I might need your contacts with the drug unit. You've heard who's behind the shooting of Dan and me don't ya?"

His face darkened, "Dominique. Yeah, I heard the bitch was out and behind it all. Fucker should've been fried."

"She's got her fingers already spreading out. You hear anything, I wanna know."

"Sure, you've got it." Ben tucked the card into his pant's pocket. "I don't have a card. You know how it is Rizzoli, you don't carry anything on ya that could be traced back to here, but I'll call. Look, I've gotta go. See you around Rizzoli."

"You take care Matthews." Taking a deep breath, Jane looked back at Maura as she walked the last few steps to the elevator, punching the call button. "Let's go do this." She still wasn't happy about coming in so early but Frost must have a good reason.

Jane couldn't help just leaning into Maura when they were alone in the elevator car. Maura meanwhile was watching Jane carefully, worried about her, but also knowing there was nothing she could do about this visit at least. Frost had been insistent that it was Jane who came in.

Frost looked up as Jane and Maura finally walked in, his face showing his own exhaustion. Jane dropped down on her chair, looking across, as Maura handed a coffee to Frost, which he took with a grateful smile. Maura then moved and pulling another chair over, and sat down alongside Jane.

Frost took a sip of his coffee first, before putting it down, and handing a file across to Jane.

"I'm sorry to get you in here so early but I figured the fewer folks around while we reviewed this the better. Korsak will be in a bit later, he was working on this last night with me. Look,I need you to look through some of these names we've put together. I had to try and narrow this search down somehow, and well...tell me if anything pops will ya."

With a nod, Jane took the file and opened it. She quickly began to scan the names. Frost watched her carefully, and saw her almost flinch.

"Who have you seen?" Frost asked quickly.

"Nah, it's..." Jane's voice drifted off, as she looked at Frost carefully, "What have you used to narrow the search criteria down?"

"I looked at anyone with a connection with the drug unit. Then if they had a connection with you and Dan. Finally, if they had a visit to the prison that Dominique was in. It's not much, but it's the best we've got at this point, and whose name did you see?"

Maura had carefully taken the list out of Jane's hands, and was scanning it herself. She gasped, and looked at Jane, who shook her head.

"Look, I can't say because if that's the only criteria you've got, then hell, if it wasn't me Dominique was trying to kill, I'd be on that damn list." Jane's anger began to creep up as her frustration level did, "Besides, there's one name on there that should be. And that's Cooper!"

"I discounted Cooper after I checked, and she wasn't around when Dominique was sprung. Remember, she was on vacation in the Caribbean visiting some family." Frost looked at Maura, his eyes pleading, "So, Maura, you reacted as well. Who is it?"

Maura carefully put the list down, judging her words carefully, "We've just seen him downstairs, Benjamin Matthews."

Frost moved quickly, tapping keys rapidly.

"Barry."

At Maura's tone, he stopped and looked up, a frown showing.

"I just want to ask Jane something." Turning her attention back to Jane, who was watching her carefully, "Can you honestly say his name would have given you the same reaction had you not just seen him? Would other names have stood out more first? Or was his name the one, as you so often tell me, your gut went with?"

Jane picked the list up, and looked through it a second time. She looked back up at Frost, "Maura's right, I wouldn't have reacted to his name if we hadn't just met. Hell, I would've pointed to Cooper ahead of him. There are a couple here that I think are more likely to."

Frost nodded, trusting his partner's instinct, "What are the names?"

Pulling a highlighter out of a drawer, Jane underlined a couple of names, and handed it back to Frost.

"Go with those names first. Otherwise, nothing really pops. You need me for anything else?"

"Not right now." Frost didn't even look up as he answered.

"Maura, how about I join you down in the morgue? There isn't any point us trying to go back home now, and I can review those files I need to."

Nodding and with a smile, Maura stood up. "I think that's an excellent idea." What she didn't say to Jane was once they were down there, she was determined to get Jane lying out on her one sofa, to try and catch up on much needed sleep. She knew Jane would likely fight her on it, but she'd at least give it a try.

* * *

><p>Dominique smiled as she toyed with her knife. Dr Maura Isles would be hers soon, as would Jane. She sighed and played with her knife, cutting her D into the table she was sitting at. Her business was picking up quickly and though her father still disapproved, even he had to admit that she had made great strides in such a short amount of time. The only thing he wasn't privy to were her plans for Jane. She relished seeing her again, feeling her again as she claimed what she had branded as hers.<p>

Getting abruptly to her feet she paced as she considered her plans. Maura Isles came from money which could be problematic. Her father would definitely not be happy, but things were too far along now. Pieces were moving into place to separate the doctor from Jane, leaving her exposed just long enough for Dominique's plan to go into effect.

Jane would hurt, and before she was done with her she would beg. She would either beg to live or beg to die, either way it was Dominique who would control it. One more little incident to rock the city should be enough to shake the doctor loose. One more burden for Jane to carry. Dominique thought back to the day that Jane fought her, physically defied her and realized she had never been more turned than she had been that night. Jane had no connection to the woman she had fought to save, this time would be different. The thrill that coursed through her made her sweat in anticipation of facing Jane again.

"Jane, Jane...siempre seras mia..."

* * *

><p>Maura took a deep breath as she answered her phone, watching Jane struggling to grab hers, having gotten only about a thirty minute nap.<p>

"Isles."

"Rizzoli."

As they listened, their eyes met, and the phone calls were ended, as Jane shrugged her jacket back on, Maura grabbed her kit.

"I'm driving."

Maura didn't argue as they quickly made their way down to the parking garage, where Jane jumped into a cruiser, and was pulling away before Maura had even settled. She fiddled around, trying to get the seatbelt out of it's holder, hating that Jane and other officers had the habit of driving with the seatbelt locked in across the seat, so it wouldn't set off the alarm. Jane had explained that it allowed them quick access out of the vehicle, without getting held up by precious seconds having to undo a belt. Maura though always hated the feeling of not being belted in place. She barely had time to finally get herself in, when Jane cursed heavily, and put a hand down on the horn.

"Fucking idiots! Don't they see or hear us!" Jane was gesturing at the drivers in front who were nose to tail with each other, and blocking the way. She turned the radio up that was being drowned out by the incessant blaring of the horn on top of the sirens, listening to the reports that were coming in. Finally, the smallest gap opened up, and Maura instinctively closed her eyes, as Jane went through it with barely the width of paint to spare. Opening her eyes again, Maura looked across at Jane. Jane, sensing Maura was looking at her, swivelled her eyes in that direction for as long as she dared, before they looked back at the road in front of them.

"It's fucking Dominique again." Jane finally said, a hand slamming down on the steering wheel.

"Jane you know I don't like to guess, but I suspect you're going to be proven right." Maura admitted, the worry she was feeling about how this was going to once again affect Jane pushed as deeply down as she could.

"I don't need to prove it Maur, I fucking know it." Jane practically snarled, "What I don't get is why? What the fuck does she hope to achieve? This isn't something she's been linked with before. Or was our intel so wrong in the past?"

Maura could tell Jane was beginning to second guess herself, and quickly placed a hand lightly over the nearest one of Jane's, which was gripped tightly to the wheel.

"We'll work the scene, just as we always do. The how and why are often answered once we've processed everything - you know that, so you have to remind yourself of that fact. If she has gone away from her MO, which I believe she has; it makes her more open to mistakes, and it increases our chances of capturing her."

Jane took a deep breath, as she gave a small nod. Maura was pleased that Jane was still listening to her and hadn't shut her out like she had in previous days. The heartfelt confession from only hours earlier was already opening Jane up more, and for that, Maura was relieved. She then turned, and glanced out of her window, as the devastation they were about to face began to become apparent by what they were looking out at. The street was awash with police cars, homeland security and FBI vehicles, the blue and red lights giving off an strange, eerie glow in the early dawn light. Officers and detectives had been called in from all departments.

Jane slowly picked her way through the debris, Frost alongside her. She was trying not to cough, as some smoke and dust still swirled around them.

"How many?"

"Confirmed dead stand at ten. We've been cleared right through. They haven't found any other devices." Frost replied, as Maura followed. He turned to look over his shoulder, "As best as we can tell at the moment, we had one device going off just as there was a train coming in. Took it off the rails, took out the electricity as well. Another device went off on the platform, just as the commuters were starting to come in. It was almost full to capacity."

"Shit, it could have taken a lot more people out." Jane said, running a hand through her hair.

"Several hundred injured." Frost replied, as he stopped by the one explosion site. "This is ours, Doctor Isles, they wanted you at the tunnel entrance."

"Certainly." Just before moving off, Maura paused, a hand coming out to rest lightly on Jane's forearm. Jane looked down at it, before her eyes came up and locked onto Maura's. She smiled as much as she could under the circumstances, trying to reassure Maura that she was okay. Sensing that Jane was being honest, Maura returned the nod before moving off.

"Maura wait!" Jane caught up with her. "Don't go off on your own okay?" Seeing the look on Maura's face she grabbed her hand. "Please Maur, stick close to a uniform, for me."

Maura squeezed her hand reassuringly, "I will, promise." She walked off leaving Frost to tap Jane on the shoulder.

"Hey partner, you good?"

"Yeah, come on."

Frost and Jane had only been there around fifteen minutes, when there was the sound of an explosion, and smoke billowed towards them. Jane jumped up from where she was crouched down looking at something. Her eyes squinted in the dust and smoke and she shook her head, when it dawned on her where the noise and smoke had come from. Within seconds, she was sprinting in that direction, leaping over debris piles, ignoring the yells from the CSU technicians on scene. Heart pounding, she skidded to a halt, the smoke beginning to dissipate. Seconds later, Frost was alongside her, looking on helplessly.

"Maura!" Jane called out, her eyes scanning the darker area, as they adjusted to the lack of light. "MAURA! Where the FUCK ARE YOU!"

Jane looked around desperately, and she felt her knees going weak as she suddenly spotted Maura's bag on the floor next to one of the dead, an officer.

"NOOOO!"

**I know…evil…but things will be coming to a head very soon. Thoughts? We'd love to hear them...**


	25. Chapter 25 Reality sucks

**A/N: Written with ssa-rtune: Well, the reaction to the last was uhm overwhelming? You all rock with your reviews and we definitely love hearing your feedback. So thank you to everyone who is following, reviewing and just plain reading…on that note, here's the next chapter.**

"She has her Frost. Dominique has Maura." Jane paced in front of the station after being forcibly removed from the scene. She knew she had been a bit irrational but she couldn't get the image of Maura in the clutches of Dominique out of her head.

"Jane we're trying to track her. We'll find-"

"Don't you get it Frost! All of this..." she waved her arms at the responders, "all of this was to get Maura. Her man inside...he took her, he was here." She wasn't even speaking to him anymore.

Her head was spinning. Who could she trust? No one, again. She paced trying to figure out what to do. Rondo, she needed to get in touch with him and find out if he'd heard anything.

"Hang on Maura, I'll find you." Frost overheard her whisper and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Hey! We'll find her. Don't do this to yourself, we couldn't have-"

"Couldn't have what Frost? Known that she would go after Maura? Of course we did, you saw the same doctored pictures of Maura that I did! And one of them was of her broken body in the aftermath of an explosion. LIKE THIS ONE! We should have known. We got fucking complacent and I let myself believe..." she took a deep shuddering breath and glared at him.

"Just leave me alone right now, please. Find that mole. Her man took her, I want to see a list of everyone here."

"Jane that's not..."

"Fuck you Frost!" her voice was like ice. "Just tell me if any of the folks on your list were here today. I'll take it from there."

Frost looked at the stranger in front of him and understood finally what Korsak had been trying to tell him. This was a Jane he didn't know and it scared him. She would not readily accept his help but she had it regardless.

"I'll run the check but Jane." he flinched at the look she gave him."Don't go off by yourself, please."

"Just go Frost." Her hands shook as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She ran through different things in her mind before pulling out her phone. She needed to get in touch with someone else as well but Rondo would have to help her there.

Not wanting others to hear, she texted, thankful when she received a text right back. She sent another text to set up a meet and glanced around as she hit send. She didn't want to be this person anymore but Jane would do whatever it took to get Maura back safely even if it cost her life.

* * *

><p>Frost pulled out his phone and dialed Korsak as he watched Jane disappearing into the crowd, he tried to follow her, but she literally went to punch him, only stopping short as he'd put his hands up in surrender. He didn't want to risk her taking him down, because he knew she could, and in this mood - would.<p>

"Korsak, we've got a helluva problem." Giving the details, Frost put his phone away into his pant's pocket, before moving off back to the precinct.

Getting back into the bullpen, watching Frost walk in, Korsak stood up from his desk, having come back from the depths of the evidence basement looking for some of the older files on Dominique. His face was pale, eyes bloodshot. A mixture of tiredness, focusing on print in files and on boxes in a dusty atmosphere, and now pure worry about the news Maura was missing, and Jane had disappeared on Frost, seemingly determined to make this a one woman crusade, played on his features.

"I've already spoken to Sean, he's waiting for us in his office - apart from anything, we don't want anyone else listening in on this conversation."

Frost followed Korsak through, surprised when he didn't even bother knocking on their LT's door. Cavanaugh was waiting for them, anxiously pacing behind his desk. Seeing the two men, he nodded for them to sit down, as he sat on his own chair.

"Vince brought me up to date while you were getting here Frost. I've gotta say, we need to handle this one carefully, for a lot of fucking reasons."

Korsak cleared his throat, as he nervously tweaked his tie, "Sean there's one other problem you don't know about."

Cavanaugh looked surprised, as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk, "This is already a clusterfuck of epic proportions, I can't see what other problem there is?"

"Well, the two kinda go hand in hand." Korsak paused, and sighed, "Look, you know how Jane and the Doc are close, but I saw them - and they are closer now. As in, it looks like they are together. A couple."

Cavanaugh closed his eyes as his head tipped back slightly, before he opened them again, looking at the men across the desk from him.

"Shit." Was all he could think of to say.

"Yeah, well, it gets kinda worse. Possibly. You remember the Colin Doyle case? And how we found out he was Patrick Doyle's son?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"What we kept outta the report was when the Doc ran the DNA, it came back with a hit. Familial DNA - and you know what that means Sean. An existing DNA profile was in the database, but not an exact match."

"So?" Cavanaugh frowned as he listened, trying to work out what this all had to do with now. "I thought it was Doyle's DNA that had sprung the hit?"

"That's what we wanted it to look like - we changed some of the file information. Shit Sean, there's no easy way to say this - Maura Isles is Paddy Doyle's daughter. Colin was her half brother. Different mother's - same father. You know I don't have to tell ya, he gets wind that his daughter's been snatched... We'll have all out war not just in Southie, but in pretty much the whole of Boston."

"Crap!" Cavanaugh looked as if he'd been smacked over the head with a two by four. "So, we think Maura has not only been taken by a piece of scum who works for this police department on the orders of this Dominique, but that Patrick Doyle is her father. That's a fucking complication we could have done without. Added to that, Rizzoli has struck out on her own, and from what we know happened before, this is going to mean she's likely to break the law just to get where she wants to be. Taking down Dominique any way she can. Plus if as you said, she and the Doc are in a relationship as best you can tell, her emotions are going to be even more all over the place."

"That just about sums it up. Shit storm, meet epic clusterfuck."

Cavanaugh took a minute, just looking at the two men in front of him, "I don't need to tell you both but just so we're absolutely clear, this has now become a strictly need to know operation. You only report to me, or each other. Angela and Frankie get nothing from either of you. At the moment, they are just aware that the Doc and Rizzoli are working the case so aren't around, but out in the field. If word gets out about Doctor Isles disappearing from the crime scene, then we'll look at it again, but for now, nothing is said. Unless it comes about we have to tell them otherwise, that's how we keep it. It won't be something we can keep from them for long, but we don't need another emotional Rizzoli losing their head, going after Jane or Dominique on their own."

"Gotcha." Korsak replied, looking a little better, knowing that Cavanaugh was obviously going to help them, rather than force it to be handed over.

"The FBI will be on this though - this is a Commonwealth employee, under the command of the BPD, and kidnapped from an active crime scene. What we won't give them is who we know is likely to have arranged this, we give them absolutely nothing." Seeing both men nod, he took in another breath. "First, we've gotta find out who this piece of shit is within the ranks of BPD. They've gotta have a reasonable clearance to do some of what has happened. This is more than an officer on the beat, although we can't discount Dominique having some beat officers in her pocket as well. But as of now, they are low on the totem pole, so we'll get to them another time. Frost, you have any suspects at all?"

"I did some searches that I left running while coming back." He pulled his tablet out, hit the screen a couple of times, "Jane said to take the search I'd already done, then narrow it down to personnel who were at the station bombing."

"Did that narrow it down any?"

"Yeah, it's still a few names, but it's much more doable. How do you want the names? If we've got a leak, do we trust the computer system here?"

"No, we don't. From now on, unless you need searches, and you can do it under the radar, we are going old school. Pen and paper only. Now, let's go find this son of a bitch, as well as find Rizzoli and Doctor Isles, and bring them both home safely - hopefully avoiding a war from Doyle and his men in the process. And Frost, I wanna full check on our computer system. If that bastard has compromised it in any way, I want to know - check it against those names. Look for any suspicious activity from them."

"Yes Sir."

* * *

><p>Jane waited impatiently for Rondo as she carefully stepped around shattered glass. She could feel the filth in the air, as she stood in the dank former warehouse, that was now nothing more than a slop house for local junkies to use when they needed a place to shoot up. She didn't dare go in too far, knowing she risked stepping onto needles, used condoms, vomit and god only knows what else. Rondo was late and she was pissed. A hand on her shoulder ended with Rondo looking up at her from the floor.<p>

"What gives Vanilla? I thought we were good?" His playful tone disappeared when he saw the haunted look in her face. "What happened?"

As he scrambled to his feet, she quickly explained, trying to keep her internal torment from coloring her words. She wanted information, period, not sympathy.

"Vanilla I don't think that's a good-"

"Idea? Yeah probably not, but what choice do I have. We've worked together before and he owes me a favor. I used to have a way to get hold during that time, but I know he would've shut that down once it was sorted. He wouldn't risk it being found out as a link to him." She wasn't about to tell Rondo about Doyle's connection to Maura.

"Okay Vanilla, whatever you say but, you need to be careful out there. I hear that the folks gunning for you want you to go down in every way." He knew she understood him and she nodded. Her badge didn't matter to her right now, only Maura did.

"Just put me in touch Rondo, fast. If he can, tell him to meet me here. It's quiet, we won't be disturbed. He'll know the place, and will know it's as good a spot as any. You make sure he knows this has gotta happen, here and now."

"Give me a half hour, I'll make it happen." He walked away and started dialing making a call that might very well mean the end of Jane's career if any of it got out, but she was past caring.

Jane looked at her watch and felt her stomach lurch as she realized Maura had been gone for over two hours. She tried not to imagine what Dominique might be doing to her and hoped, no prayed, that the other woman wanted Jane more than she wanted to hurt Maura. Jane knew full well that Maura was taken to make sure that Jane was more compliant and she hated Dominique even more for it.

"Rizzoli." Doyle's sudden appearance surprised her. She hadn't heard him walk up and she whirled around to face him.

"Doyle." She let the word hang there, like a curse word and wasn't surprised when he smiled at her reaction. He wouldn't be smiling once she gave him the news.

"So, suddenly you need me, I thought I was...what's the phrase? Oh yeah, 'persona non grata'"

"You are, but I need you. No, Maura needs you."

His demeanor completely changed after hearing his daughter's name. "Maura? What's wrong with Maura?"

Jane explained what she knew and suspected, primarily though, concentrating on what happened leading up to Maura being taken, but still left some bits out. She needed to know how Doyle was going to react before he had the whole deal given to him.

"What are you doing telling me all this Rizzoli? You don't trust me and you don't work outside the law."

"Today I do." She wouldn't tell him every last thing, but he would have to hear some more of the background. He was at least listening to her, so she decided now was the time to get it all out, "Listen, you can check this out, I know - but it'll be quicker if I just come out with it all, not just the edited version. You heard of Dominique I assume? You didn't seem surprised by her name."

He nodded, "Yeah, bitch has come back and is already trying to push on my territory, had to give her a couple of warnings. Heard she got out because of someone's stupidity."

"More like someone's fucking inside job. Inside the BPD." Jane hated having to admit as much, but she needed to lay down these cards if she wanted to keep involved with Doyle. She couldn't risk him taking off on his own.

"Okay, that helps explain some, but why should I try and help you, and not just go get Maura?"

"Because what you don't seem to know is I brought Dominique down last time. Spent two years deep undercover; I know the bitch like no-one else. Not even father dearest. You wanna take her down, you've gotta have me do it with you."

"Perhaps. But - What do you care? Sure I know you and my daughter are close, but you're about to cross a very dirty line here Rizzoli. I have to ask myself, why?"

Jane took in a breath, knowing this question was one she might have to answer. She had no idea how her answer was going to be met. She could well be signing her own death sentence.

"The why? Because I love your daughter, and she loves me."

She watched as his head tilted ever so slightly to the side, processing the information, "You don't say? Well that's an interesting turn of events now isn't it?."

"I guess you could say that." Jane looked at her watch, "Jesus, we're wasting precious time here Doyle. You with me? Or am I on my own?"

"I'm in. If nothing else, I wanna try and make sure you don't cross that line too much. At least I can shoulder some of the dirtier work - and you can deny it then if you get out of this alive. You might well be heading for a suicide mission you know - but - you say my daughter loves you. If that's the case, I'm gonna try and keep you alive through this, even if you are a cop. Alive and as clean as I can."

"Gee, thanks." Jane's sarcasm was biting as she rolled her eyes for good measure.

* * *

><p>Dominique walked around Maura, who was watching her, defiance in the hazel eyes. She had to admit, the Doctor had so far impressed her with her resilience. No real fear had been shown, just contempt. Dominique at least appreciated the honesty being shown.<p>

"Now, I think it's time we gave Jane a little something, don't you?"

Dominique threw back her head and laughed at Maura's muffled reply, "Oh of course, you can't answer me because of that rag and tape across those rather delicious lips of yours."

Dominique stood back, as she lifted up her phone, "Oh how these have come along in the last few years. I can now do this... So, please smile." She pressed down, as the flash blinded Maura slightly.

Dominique crouched down, a hand coming out to push a strand of Maura's hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear. "_De verdad que eres deliciosa*_. I will enjoy taking what will be mine, but you will be a wonderful entree before the main course."

She ripped off the tape elicited a whimper from Maura's defiant lips. She glared at her. "_Ella te va matar*_" She whispered. Dominique's shock at her words must have shown because she took a step back.

"You speak Spanish."

"I do..."

"Well then, we have a lot to discuss before _nuestra amor*_ gets here." Dominique smiled at the disgusted look on Maura's face. This was definitely going to be a lot of fun.

* * *

><p>Jane was on the shoreline, waiting for one of Doyle's men to get back to her, when she felt the phone vibrate. She plucked it out of the holder, and seeing it wasn't from Frost, Korsak or Cavanaugh, whom she'd firmly ignored so far, she took a deep breath before opening the message.<p>

She felt her legs go weak, even though she'd prepared herself for the likelihood of what she was going to find. It was as bad as she'd feared - Maura, on the floor, hogtied. Tipping her head back, Jane screamed into the air, hands shaking, as adrenaline coursed through her body. This was her worst nightmare come true. Taking another deep breath, Jane forced herself to look at the image objectively. She took some comfort in the fact that there were no apparent injuries to Maura.

Then again, she knew, Dominique didn't like women hurt before she took control of them. It seemed to take the fun out of it for her, and for that, Jane sent up a silent prayer. She took in any visual clues she could. Satisfied there was little more to see, she forwarded the message to Frost - telling him it would have likely been sent from a burn phone, but she made sure the number was also sent. He might get lucky and get a ping off a cell tower somewhere to give a possible location.

She then sent a separate message, copying it to Korsak - telling them she was sorry, but she had to do this alone, and not to bother trying to track her phone. Just as she was about to hit send, a thought struck her.

"Son of a bitch!" Jane exclaimed, as she amended the message.

'Frost, Korsak - I'm sure the leak is Ben. I gave the fucker my card in the foyer when we met. Sure, it could have been gotten by other means, but it just seems to much of a coincidence that I now get the message sent to that phone from Dominique. Check him out. He had the means, the contacts. I'm certain on this one.'

Once she finally hit send, and confirmation came back that the messages had been delivered, Jane turned the phone off, pulled the battery out, before throwing both pieces into the Charles river where it met Boston Harbor. She took a second before moving back into position to wait for Doyle's man. She pulled the burn phone she'd just purchased out of her pant's pocket - and checking it, bit back the frustration that there was no message from Rondo or Doyle.

"Rizzoli?"

Jane spun around, facing a man whose face matched the picture Doyle had already given her. She nodded, but made no move to close the gap between them.

I've got a possible location."

Jane suddenly found herself moving, "Where?"

"Using the intel you gave us, it looks like your hunch on her going back to her old stomping ground was spot on..." He turned and began to walk towards a car Jane now saw was parked close by, "It's not her old place, but close en..."

He didn't get any further, as he seemed to crumple in front of Jane, blood spraying out, covering her as she was a step behind him. She flinched, as her eyes then scanned the immediate area. Before she could get her bearings, she felt something hit her, and her body refused to cooperate as she fell to the ground, before her eyes locked onto the man who appeared in her line of vision.

"You!" She croaked out, as darkness enveloped her.

**No screaming at us now…hehehe…next chapter is almost done, we'd love to hear your thoughts. BTW, the translation for the Spanish is below. FYI, the Spanish used is the more common use and hopefully the spelling is okay. It is by no means meant to be the ****proper Castillian.**

***You really are delicious**

***She is going to kill you**

***Our love**


	26. Chapter 26 Endings

**A/N: written with ssa-rtune: Folks you amaze me with the reviews, you truly do. I hope we don't disappoint. **

Jane opened her eyes slowly. The light above her kept doubling as she looked at it and she tried to shake her head clear. Big mistake. She felt herself start to gag as the nausea washed over her. That fucker had given her something to keep her out. Closing her eyes again she tried desperately to get her bearings.

"Maura!" she croaked.

"Ah...mi amor, you're awake! Que rico va ser." Dominique's voice stilled her as Jane remembered all that had happened. She'd failed. Dominique had Maura and now her, thanks to Matthews. She wasn't ready. Jane glared at the smaller woman as she fought against her restraints.

"Where is she?" Jane wouldn't say her name. She couldn't.

"Your doctor?" Dominique glanced across the room before turning back to Jane with a deliberate smile. "Es mia ahora, didn't you know?" She playfully traced a D in the air and blew her a kiss.

"Fuck you Dominique! She's innocent in all this, you know that. This is between us...let her go." Jane tried desperately to keep the plea out of her voice. She pulled against the ties that held her to the chair. Maura had been gone six hours before Dominique had made contact with her, let alone the period she'd been out of it. She was terrified of what Maura must have been put through in that time. She strained her neck as she looked around the room and around Dominique, trying to find Maura.

Dominique reached down and ran a hand along Jane's face. "Que linda eres." she whispered. Just touching Jane gave Dominique a thrill. "You've gotten more beautiful Jane."

"Perra!" Dominique's hand reared back and struck Jane solidly across the face, before grabbing her viciously by the chin. "Cuidado Jane...I have your doctor."

Dominique smiled when Jane sagged at her words. She would control this woman who had defied her, of that she had no doubt.

Jane's mind raced as she listened to her. She knew she shouldn't but she had to ask.

"Where is she?"

Dominique stepped aside to show her. Her involuntary gasp was in response to what she saw. Maura was tied to a makeshift bed, her clothing had been cut away revealing her undergarments. She was staring at Jane, straining against the wire that held her fast to the bed, blood trickling down her arms, her mouth duct taped and unable to do more than moan, as she tried to move her legs, which were tied down and spread apart. Next to her was the whip that Jane knew Dominique planned to use on her.

Dominique laughed out loud as Jane fought to get free, fought to get to Maura. She bent down and brought her lips to her ear and whispered. "Don't you wish you had killed me now?"

Jane flashed back to her arrest and how Dominique had taunted her in front of Korsak and Dan. She had assaulted a prisoner that day and only Korsak's and Dan's testimony had saved her from being kicked off the force, and somehow she hadn't even ended up with a black mark in her jacket. Korsak knew she would have killed Dominique if they hadn't pulled her off. Jane had often had conflicting thoughts over that incident. On the one hand, she knew it was the right thing for Dominique to live; that she couldn't be judge, jury and executioner. But right now, that was all she wished she had been.

"What do you want from me?" Jane growled. She hoped to keep her talking. If luck was on their side at all then Doyle at least was aware of what had happened. She had no reason to believe that she would get out of this alive at all. But Maura...she had to get her out and she would do whatever it took to keep her alive.

"Sueltala Dominique, y te doy lo que quieras." Jane spoke to her in Spanish, knowing how much the other woman loved it when she did.

"Are you trying to trick me Jane? Talking to me in Spanish?" Dominique reached over and grabbed the back of her head smashing her lips against Jane's. "It's not going to work." she hissed. Letting her go she walked over toward Maura, stopping when Jane yelled at her.

"Don't you touch her." Jane threatened. She had nothing to bargain with but she was going to try.

Dominique stopped and turned back to her. "Que vas hacer? Nada!" She saw the look that Jane gave her doctor and frowned, "You love this woman?" She looked down at Maura and back at Jane. "Bueno, I will give you five minutes to say your goodbyes. Despues eres mia." She reached over and picked up a hypodermic needle that was laying on the table next to the bed. "Primero, dime, quien va recibir esto Jane?"

Jane swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat as she realized what Dominique was planning. She was sure it was the same thing she had injected her with last time, when she branded her. If she said Maura, then she would be dealing with the same nightmares that Jane had been dealing with for years. She couldn't do that to her. Jane allowed herself to look at Maura before she answered.

"Me." She watch Maura struggle desperately against her restraints, begging with her eyes for Jane to recant. She closed her eyes against the sight and faced Dominique. "Give it to me."

"Ah Jane, I knew that would be your answer. Always so noble." Grabbing her arm she jabbed the needle in. "There you go mi amor." She started to loosen the rope holding Jane's arms and stepped back when Jane tried to pull away. "I'll wait till you have your five minutes. Enjoy your trip."

Jane blinked desperately trying to focus as the drugs creeped through her system. She watched vaguely as Dominique ripped the tape from Maura's mouth before leaving them alone.

Maura tried to immediately call out but the pain from her now dry mouth stopped her at first. She watched as Jane's head started to loll to the side and panicked. "Jane! JANE!" She pulled at the ties on her wrists ignoring the pain. Maura knew what Dominique had in store for Jane and she was determined to stop her. She just didn't know how.

"Jane..." she was crying now watching Jane try to fight the effects of the drugs she had been injected with.

"Ma...Mauraaa...fuck..." Jane tried to clear her head but only managed to disorient herself more. "M...I'm sorry Maura..."

"Jane...you have...you have nothing to be sorry about, honey." the tears flowed freely down her face, burning where the tape had irritated her skin.

"Can't save you...screwed up...can't save you...love you Maura..." She closed her eyes tightly to try and stop the room from spinning. She felt like crap. She had to focus and hold on to the fact that Dominique was going to untie her. Maybe then...

"Oh God..."

* * *

><p>"Shit." Frost picked up his action figure from his desk, studied it, just to refocus, before he turned back to his computer. So far, he'd managed to keep his searches off the radar, but unless he could narrow it down further, it was going to get harder to do it without tipping off either the BPD leak, or even the FBI. He watched as his phone message alert sounded. He picked it up, and almost dropped the phone when he saw it was from Jane. He heard Korsak's exclamation, as his phone rang out seconds later, as did Frost's a second time.<p>

"Korsak, we need to move this to where we talked about." Frost said urgently, knowing they couldn't discuss this in the open. Nodding his understanding, Korsak stood up, and they hit the elevator, before going up into an area little used, but with an office in one corner that was currently empty. Closing the door behind them, Korsak looked at Frost, who had transferred the image to the tablet he'd brought with him.

"No doubt it's Dominique." Korsak said, worry in his voice as he looked at the picture. "We have similar reports, even if none were ever proven, from when we took Dominique down last time."

"You get the other message?"

"From Jane? Yeah." Korsak ran a hand over his hair, "She has a good point. He'd perhaps wanna know if Jane had any information she could give him, so stopped her. Then she gives him her card with her cell number on. She's right, you can get the number from any number of places, but it all just falls into place. It would also explain how Dominique knew where Dan was when he first found us and we arranged the meet at The Robber. Who else to tell what you're movements are than your undercover partner, just in case he needs to get hold of you. Can you do the searches on Ben without tipping him off he's being looked at?"

"I can, but not from here. I can do it from home."

"Then lets go." Without waiting for an answer, Korsak had the door open and was already on his way to the elevator.

He refused to allow his former partner to tackle this on her own. She had given them an in thankfully and now it was up to them to help her before it was too late.

* * *

><p>"Jane...Jane open your eyes please." Maura's pleas filtered into Jane's drug addled mind and she opened her eyes again, cursing at her distorted view of the room and Maura.<p>

"Okay.." Jane breathed, "will be okay..." she was holding on by her fingernails and Maura could hear it in her voice.

Maura didn't get a chance to say anything more before Dominique walked back in.

"How sweet. Did you say your goodbyes?" The look she gave Maura was one of pure venom.

"Why?" Maura couldn't understand this hatred. "Why are you doing this? You could have left and no one would have bothered you."

"She betrayed me. No one betrays me." Her voice had taken on a hard edge. "Jane was committed to me, I know she was and then." She walked over to Jane and grabbed a handful of her hair pulling her up to face her. "and then she turned me over to the police. Do you even know what happens to a woman in prison? Even a woman like me?" Her voice rose, "Que paso Jane? Me querias, lo se..."

"Nunca" she spit out. Jane fought against her hold trying not to open her eyes since it only disoriented her more. She hissed as she felt something sharp slice her arm. She could hear Maura fighting against her restraints again. She didn't deserve this and she knew the only reason that Maura was here was because of her. "Never," she said again, this time in English.

"You're lying!" Dominique kissed her roughly and abruptly let her go, pacing in front of her. She wanted to hurt her, beat her but instead she ran a hand along Jane's face and started to untie a hand. She wanted this to be challenging. She wanted Jane to struggle and fight for the life of her doctor and know that she couldn't stop what would happen to her. The drugs in Jane's system would definitely affect her perceptions and reactions. Exactly what she wanted. Like last time, she would carve herself into Jane whether she wanted it or not.

Jane's shock at being untied made her open her eyes. For the second time that day opening her eyes was a huge mistake. She couldn't focus and Dominique appeared to be right in front of her but when she swung her hand Jane realized she wasn't. Dominique's laughter at Jane's actions made her even angrier. Even as she yelled at her Dominique ignored and turned away.

"Bitch! I'll kill you this time!" Jane screamed as she watched Dominique approach Maura, knife in hand. "NO!" She fought to get her other hand free but she couldn't focus. She felt worse than drunk, her perception was completely off but she finally found the knot holding her other hand and struggled to get herself free. She had no idea if help would get to them in time.

"NO!" she screamed again. "To me...don't hurt her." she knew she wasn't making sense but she had to get Dominique focused on her and words were just spilling out.

Dominique stopped at the foot of the bed. "It seems our mutual lover wants to take your beating. How sweet."

She put the knife in her back pocket and picked up the whip. Giggling a bit as she heard Jane scream again, she cracked the whip by Maura's head and laughed when she jumped.

Jane was fighting frantically to get herself free and had managed to finally untie her other hand. "No la toques!" Jane screaming at her in Spanish made her stop to look at her and brought her to a realization.

"You do love this woman." Disgust dripped from every word. "She's nothing. NOTHING!" She turned and cracked the whip across Maura's shoulder, once, twice. Her pained screams filled Jane's head and she lurched forward slamming to the floor trying to reach her. Her ankles still held fast to the chair she was on.

"Please..." Jane couldn't help the plea and knew she was crying but she couldn't stop. She could hear Maura's whimper of pain and couldn't bear to look at the damage the whip had done. "No more, yours...I'm yours." Dominique acted as if she hadn't heard and Jane yelled at her. "Soy tuya!"

"Jane, Jane...I already know that." She leaned down next to her and rolled her over, easily brushing aside Jane's attempts to grab her. "Of course you're mine."

A hard knock on the door made her turn, "What? I said I didn't want to be disturbed."

The young man who poked his head in looked scared to death but he quickly walked over and handed her a note, refusing to look at the bound women. Dominique quickly scanned the note and cursed.

"Go, tell them to be ready to leave immediately." She waited till he left before turning back to Jane. She reached back and punched her in the face again and again, anger fueling her attack. Jane tried to ward off the blows but couldn't. Moaning she looked at what she could see of Dominique through swollen eyes, the hatred and hint of fear she saw made her smile brokenly at her.

"Trouble?" She could think of only one thing that would panic Dominique that way and that meant that Doyle was making his move.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!" she screamed at her. As she reared back to strike her again. Jane saw her chance and took it striking out with both hands to get her off her. Jane grabbed at Dominique, but was satisfied when she was able to strike her and rolled over on top of her. She was still tied to the chair but one ankle was loose. Jane yanked on it trying to stay on top of her as the woman fought her off.

Dominique was in shock at how quickly things had changed. But she saw the glazed look in Jane's eyes and knew that she wasn't tracking properly and used that. She pulled Jane in close and then rolled back on top of her not caring that the chair broke under her, not caring that this wasn't what she had planned. Jane had betrayed her in every way and she was going to pay. Dominique reached behind her and laughed maniacally when she felt her knife there. She laughed even louder when she heard Jane's doctor scream a warning. Jane was fighting her but it was disjointed and she was grateful that she had the forethought to drug her before this all began or she wouldn't have gotten this far. Dominique heard her men calling through the door and she screamed at them to stay away.

Jane was frantic, her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest and she knew it was a combination of the drugs and the situation but she couldn't stop. Dominique wouldn't move as she fought against her and she opened her eyes wide when she heard Maura scream.

Jane didn't feel the knife as it plunged into her chest but she wrapped her hands around Dominique's as the crazed woman pulled it out to stab her again. She held on for dear life, hers and Maura's. She didn't hear the screams from Maura or the yells from Dominique's men as the sound of gunfire was heard in the distance. She fought Dominique with all she had and had to shut her eyes briefly as her mind played tricks on her and Dominique morphed into the face of her nightmares. It was too much.

"NO!" Jane screamed with the effort of forcing Dominique's knife back on her even as she tried to roll her off. She was suddenly empty handed as Dominique fell back stunned, her own knife sticking out of her chest.

"No puede ser..." her whispered voice was full of disbelief. Dominique pulled the knife out and dropped it as blood pumped from the wound in her chest. Reaching a hand out she called out for Jane but she was already dragging herself over to Maura. "Mi amor..."

"Maura..." Jane croaked. The room was off kilter as she tried to stand next to the bed. Pulling herself up she used her outstretched hands to find Maura's hand and the wire, managing to loosen it, not trusting what she was seeing.

Distraught, Maura grabbed at her once her hand was loose. "Jane please..." her tear filled voice was pleading with her. She knew that Jane wasn't feeling her injuries but the bright red blood that was staining the front of Jane's shirt was scaring her.

"Its okay..." Jane looked back over at Dominique and didn't feel her legs give out as she fell beside the bed.

"Jane!" Maura winced as she worked to get her other hand loose, moving quickly to her ankles. She dropped down beside Jane and grabbed the sheet on the bed placing it over the stab wound. Jane blinked and tried to focus.

"He..hey..." Her voice had a breathless quality that Maura had never heard before. Gunfire outside the room made her jump and she could only pray the right people came through the door.

"Stay with me Jane. Open your eyes honey...please..."

Jane's unfocused gaze washed over her before settling on her face. "You're real." she breathed.

"I am, very real." Maura glanced at the door, "I don't know who-"

"Doyle." she whispered.

Jane didn't see Maura's response to what she said as her eyes closed one last time.

**So…comments? FYI this was a difficult chapter to write for a number of reasons, so we'd love to know what you think. Let us have it…go ahead...**

**BTW Lots of Spanish in this one folks!**

**Loose Spanish translation:**

**Dominique:** My love / She's mine now / How beautiful you are

**Jane:** Bitch!

**Dominique:** Careful

**Jane:** Let her go Dominique and I'll give you what you want.

**Dominique:** What are you going to do? Nothing! / Afterwards you're mine.

First, tell me, who will be getting this Jane? / My love / What happened

Jane? You loved me, I know you did.

**Jane:** Never! / Don't touch her! / I'm yours

**Dominique**: It can't be...my love.


	27. Chapter 27 The truth shall set you free

**A/N: written with sea-rtune.**

**-Put the pitchforks away people! The reviews for the previous chapter were nothing short of amazing, thank you from the both of us. It was one of the most difficult chapters to write by far. I wanted to say that if you've ever been in love, you have to remember that love makes you do crazy things. Impossible things. I firmly believe in the adage that love conquers all, because in the end, its all we have left.**

"We have a body!" Korsak jogged up to Frost and passed him the information he had just gotten. Rondo had gone against his own code and contacted Korsak to let him know what Jane was up to.

"Do we know who it is?"

"One of Doyle's men."

"Shit this is bad. Have we heard from...him?" Frost lowered his voice. They still hadn't tracked down Matthews and they had no way of knowing who was connected to Dominique. They did know that time was running out, for both Maura and Jane.

"I've got my feelers out, he knows how to get in touch. I just hope he contacts us before he moves in."

"Do you think he will?"

"Frost," He looked at the younger man in disbelief, "She has his daughter, he will definitely move in and won't care who he takes out in the process."

"Sorry it's just. Dammit Korsak why did she have to go off on her own?" He was angry. Jane was setting herself up to get killed and he couldn't understand why she couldn't trust them.

"Barry...she texted us. She's throwing out a lifeline even if we don't know for sure where it connects. We'll find them." Korsak squeezed his shoulder trying to reassure himself as much as Frost. "We just have to keep looking. Now, lets go look at this body, see if it can't help us any."

Frost looked down at the body, swallowing down the urge to vomit, and winced as he saw it was Pike who walked onto the scene. Pike didn't say a word, or even acknowledge them as he strode past Frost and Korsak.

"That man is such an asshole." Frost muttered as Korsak motioned for Frost to join him on the outer edges of the crime scene.

"Nothing really here at the crime scene gonna help us." Korsak admitted, "Cavanaugh has said it's okay to hand it over to Crowe and Cooper, which is good, cos I might have a lead on that CI Diamond that Rondo put us onto. According to a pal of mine from my old unit it's looks like Diamond is Matthews CI. Cavanaugh has said we can bring Matthews in with what we've got so far. It might be circumstantial at the moment, but he thinks Jane was right, and that link is the final nail as far as Sean is concerned. He'll be pushing for some warrants. We might not get full access for stuff yet, but he's pretty sure we'll get access to the work locker, desk, that kinda thing."

"Any idea where Matthews is?"

"Now that's the million dollar question isn't it." His phone chimed just at that moment, and looking at the text, Korsak nodded slightly, "And it looks like Rondo might just well have found Matthews for us." Trying to just lighten the mood, Korsak then said, "Ya know, Vanilla is gonna owe him big time when we sort this mess out. Let's go!"

Frost couldn't help the smile, as he shook his head in Korsak's direction, "We get her outta this, and she hears you called her that, you're gonna be dead."

"If it means she's here to tear me a new one, I'll take it."

* * *

><p>"Matthews."<p>

Bleary eyes looked up from the table, and finally recognition reached their depths.

"Korsak?"

Korsak stepped up, and looked closely into Matthews eyes, and could tell they were glazed. He would bet his next paycheck that it was as a result of some kind of drug use. There wasn't enough of a smell of alcohol, and Rondo had said Matthews hadn't been there long. With a slight smile, Korsak moved in closer.

"We need you to come in to talk to us. I've been told you might have some information that Dan could have let you know, without you realizing it."

Frost stood back from the door. It had been decided before they had arrived at this dive of a pub that Korsak would use the 'we need you to come in and help' angle first. If that didn't work, then they'd just go for the hauling his ass down into an interrogation room. Personally, Frost was itching for the latter.

"What do you think I can possible help with?"

"You knew Dan better than anyone of late Ben. I'll be honest, we're at a dead end. Frankly, we need you. We need to know what Dan was like the past few years, cos' lets face it, I've not really spoken to him since I was in the drug unit. Not to this degree. C'mon, whaddya say? Cavanaugh reckons this'll go a long way to getting a placement with us in homicide if you can help as well."

Ben suddenly felt important and useful, and also knew it was a good time to try and muddy the waters a little, so smiled, "Yeah?"

Putting a hand out onto Matthews shoulder, Korsak couldn't help but feel a little sick in the stomach, but they wanted to desperately try and handle this one carefully - at least to begin with. For a start, other cops wouldn't want to see a detective like Matthews hauled through the station in cuffs, even if they knew what Korsak, Frost and Cavanaugh all suspected, that he was dirty. It was bad enough to be with IAD - to take a fellow officer in was almost as bad in many cops eyes unless they had absolute proof, which at this point they didn't. This required a lot of delicate handling.

"Yeah, c'mon. Wanna come down to the station with us? See what we can thrash out?"

Knocking back what remained of his beer, Matthews stood up, albeit slightly unsteadily on his feet, grabbing his jacket, "Let's go get this bitch."

"Yeah, let's get the bitch." Frost mumbled under his breath, just as Korsak and Matthews walked out.

"Matthews, meet my one partner, Frost."

Ben put out a hand, which Frost quickly shook, "Good to meet you."

* * *

><p>Matthews looked around the room, a slight frown on his features.<p>

Seeing his demeanor, Korsak looked apologetic, "Sorry we've had to dump you in an interrogation room. Got the FBI and all the other brass taking over just about every conference room in the place after the bombing."

Frost watched as the lie rolled easily off Korsak's tongue, as he settled in a seat alongside the older detective. While he'd worked a lot with Korsak, he was unused to doing interviews with him, since it was often Jane who would go with Korsak to do them, or he and Jane would be together. So far, Korsak had impressed Frost. He just hoped being with Korsak like this wasn't a sign of things to come. Matthews was their only real hope to finding Jane and Maura, as well as preventing a possible blood bath with Doyle getting involved.

Just as they were about to start talking, there was a knock on the door, and turning around, Korsak saw Susie Chang outside, holding a folder. He quickly got up, closing the door on Frost and Matthews.

"Looks like they might have something?" Matthews said, nodding in the direction of the door.

"Yeah, well, while Pike might be an idiot - Doctor Isles has some of the best technicians working for her. If anyone can find something, it'll be them. Doctor Isles herself often works miracles with the evidence."

"You don't say."

Frost looked pleased to see a film of sweat was just beginning to bead across Matthews upper lip and forehead, even though there was a slight chill in the air. He hoped it was nervousness in Matthews, rather than because of the drink and likely drugs he'd been using.

Korsak came in with a folder, which he put down, before looking across to Frost, who immediately knew Susie had found something - something they could use as leverage. Korsak then turned, his focus narrowing.

"Ben, right now, I've gotta tell you, you're in some trouble here."

Matthews sat upright, looking worried and shocked at the same time, "What the fuck? I'm outta here if you're gonna start talking like that..."

He went to stand up, and seeing a nod of Korsak's head, Frost was ahead of Matthews, hands on his shoulders, shoving him back down into the seat.

"Your ass stays in that chair until we tell you otherwise." Korsak said, before slapping a form down and reading him his miranda rights. Matthews looked on stunned. "Sign it," he said pushing forward the form. Matthews scribbled his name down and watched as Korsak pulled out some photographs and typed up paperwork from the file, which he carefully spread out.

"You know, for a cop who's been on the job as long as you have, you'd think you would have been more careful. I mean, you took down a cop for fucks sake, and killed one of Paddy Doyle's men in the process. That isn't a smart move Ben."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Matthews nervously moved in his seat, his eyes darting pretty much everywhere but towards Korsak.

Frost sat there, praying to god that Ben didn't ask for a lawyer, or even a union rep. Whatever Korsak had, it must have been good enough for him to now make this a formal interview. He sat back slightly, happy to let Korsak lead with whatever there was.

Korsak merely shook his head, allowing his disdain to show, "Then that makes you a shit poor excuse of a detective," Korsak pushed a photo forward, and for the first time, Frost could see what it was, and he allowed a small smile to form. "C'mon, you should know what these are."

Matthews just kept quiet, folding his arms across his chest, trying to look defiant.

"Giving us the silent treatment? That's okay - why don't I spell it out for you," Korsak tapped a finger against the photo, which had some glowing items showing up under what Frost knew was an alternative light source. "See, you should know each time you use the taser that it throws out those pesky things called Afids - you know, Anti-Felon Identifications tags. Sure, they can be a bitch to find, but remember when I told you that Doctor Isles uses the best technicians? They don't let something like that deter them. So, imagine their surprise when they found these Afids at the crime scene where a body was found. No taser marks on the deceased, so it looks like there was someone else there. Like I said earlier, Detective Rizzoli is what I'm thinking."

Korsak watched, and not seeing a reaction, pressed on, "So, not only do they find these little beauties, they also do a trace on them. Remember, this is all stuff you should know - cos the moment you fire those darts outta that thing, you leave this behind. So these Afids bear a serial number printed on it corresponding to the serial number of the cartridge from which it was fired. Now, okay, we might not know where the cartridge comes from - but your mistake Matthews was using your police issued taser. Not just that, but the damn cartridge that comes with it! The cartridge number and information that is in our files, and we traced those numbers right back to you."

Korsak finally allowed the disgust he felt seep into his voice, as he shoved the pictures and paperwork even closer to Matthews who was looking decidedly off color, licking his lips, as his fingers began to rub against each other nervously.

"So, like I say, our lot are thorough - Cavanaugh got permission to go through your work locker. And guess what they found? Your taser, discharged and tucked away in the back. Really? If you're gonna use the work taser, at least report the fucker stolen, and throw it in the damn Charles. So - that was enough for the DA to grant a warrant for everything you touch Matthews; house, car, garage, even if you've got a shed in your backyard - we're in there now. The same tech's who found all this - imagine what they're gonna find now they are in your place. This is apart from the connections we've already made between you, Dominique and a very bent CI called Diamond, plus a stack load of other circumstantial evidence we had."

Korsak paused slightly for effect, knowing he was about to throw a partial lie into the mix; that Frost had found the webcam hook up, just not who was responsible, "While Doctor Isles and her lot are brilliant, Frost here is pretty impressive with computers. Me, don't get them myself, but Barry is a real whizz. Imagine our surprise when he found that the webcams on our computers had been hacked into. Not just hacked into, but the signal linked elsewhere, and guess what? We linked it back to your computer Matthews. This is just the beginning of what we have! I'm guessing if we tested you now as well, you'd show positive for drug use, and I'm also betting that's one reason you've gotten so sloppy this time around. Not like when you took out Michael's family, which I'm sure you handled and we're gonna find a connection to you for that as well - whatever, right now, you're ours. We're all up your shit."

Looking even more worried, Matthews leaned forward, his breathing rapid, "Look, you need to do me a deal here."

"I don't need to do shit for you." Korsak replied, as he shoved the pictures and papers back into the file, "'Cause we're gonna bury you. There ain't nothing you can give us. You're going down for murder, first degree, plus other charges to follow."

Trusting Korsak, Frost got up when he did, and as they both went to turn to leave the room, Matthews jumped up, his hands hitting the table hard.

"No, look, I can tell you where Rizzoli is! I used the taser on her, then drugged her with some propofol, before taking her to Dominique. I can give you them both!"

They were about to sit back down,when Korsak's phone rang. Seeing who it was, he shook his head at Frost, who remained standing. Korsak walked out of the room, leaving Frost to stay with Matthews who had sat down in his chair heavily, chewing a nail, looking as if the drugs were finally leaving his system, his movements were jerky and unco-ordinated. Korsak strode back into the room, a uniformed officer behind him.

"Book this bastard. Frost, you're with me, we've just gotten Rizzoli's and the Doc's location."

Leaving the room, they both ignored the screaming pleas coming from behind them.

* * *

><p>Maura cradled Jane in her arms, tears flowing freely as she tried to stop the bleeding. She could hear yelling in the hallway, Spanish interspersed with English spoken with a thick Irish accents. She didn't care who it was. She needed to get Jane help, now.<p>

"Help! Paddy, anybody, please, we need..." She stopped when she heard Jane struggling to breathe. "No, no, no...SOMEBODY PLEASE!"

There was the sound of more gunshots before everything went quiet. Maura heard the scuffle of feet outside the door and leaned in to Jane, protectively.

Doyle kicked the door in and scanned the room, satisfied when he saw Dominique's motionless body on the floor he locked eyes with his daughter. Fury washed over him as he saw the whip marks and blood on his daughter's wrists. What frightened him most was the way she held onto Rizzoli. He swallowed when he saw the blood and blue tinge of Jane's lips.

"Dammit! Jack! JACK! Call an ambulance dammit! And call Korsak again!"

He kneeled down in front of his daughter, "Maura...let me take her...please, we need to take care of you too." Teeth clenched he tried not to stare at the open wounds on his daughter's shoulder and chest. He reached for Jane and pulled back when Maura slapped his hand.

She was still applying pressure to the chest wound, but blood was continuing to seep through. She didn't dare move at this point until professional help could get there. "I can't, I won't." Her voice was lifeless as she addressed him and he looked down wondering if Rizzoli was still alive. Shaking his head, Paddy stood up and unbuttoned his shirt before taking it off and placing it around Maura's shoulders. He walked back to the hallway and grabbed one of his men as they went by.

"Where's the goddamned ambulance?"

"On its way boss. Listen a few of them got away, do we want to-"

"No." He looked back at the woman he knew as his daughter. She looked broken without her detective. He sighed, "No, it doesn't matter anymore, the bitch is dead and we found them." His words were quiet. He felt like he'd failed his daughter and he had. He should have known that she had been targeted, he should have been there for her. He would never forgive himself if she lost her detective.

* * *

><p>"Faster Frost!" The call he had gotten from Doyle's man had been brief and to the point. Both men were terrified of what they were going to find. He had contacted the call center and let them know the 911 call they had received was for an officer down, with any luck the ambulance would beat them there.<p>

"There, left...LEFT!" Frost made the turn and glared at him.

"I'll apologize once we get there." Korsak watched the houses fly by, grateful when they got to the street where they needed to be. He just hoped they weren't too late.

They pulled up behind the empty ambulance, followed by three other police cars that Cavanaugh had sent with them. The place looked abandoned when they went in. Sending officers around back, Korsak found the first body in the hallway as he followed the sound of raised voices. He holstered his gun at the sight he came upon.

Doyle was trying to hold Maura back as the medics worked on Jane. She was telling them what had happened and how Jane had been drugged. Korsak cursed under his breath as he heard it.

"Doc?"

"Vince..." Maura pulled away from her father and let Korsak gather her up in his arms just as the paramedics finally finished stabilizing Jane enough to move her.

"I'm going with her." Maura stumbled as she stepped forward,her own injuries making her pause.

"Doc you need-"

Maura glared at him and gathered her father's shirt more tightly around her before following the Jane out.

"What the hell happened Doyle?"

Paddy Doyle walked over to Dominique's body and fired a round into her head.

"Doyle,what the fuck?"

"I didn't get here in time to take her out properly, but I'll be damned if this bitch's death brings her father looking for anyone but me." He turned to the man who should have arrested him on the spot and gave him a sad smile. "At least if..fuck! If Rizzoli makes it, she and Maura won't be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives." He kicked Dominique for good measure before walking over to the bed and staring down where he now knew his daughter had been tied up and tortured. Picking up the discarded whip he touched the blood on it and growled as he flung it across the room. He knew exactly whose blood it was.

Frost watched the display and excused himself, leaving the older men to talk. Doyle was a hardcore criminal and seeing this side of him shook the younger man. He truly was a father.

Grabbing his phone he made the call he had hoped Korsak would be making. "Frankie?" Frost listened as Frankie began yelling at him, having heard about Maura being missing, and now Jane, Frost winced. "Yeah...no, dammit slow down! We've found Maura and Jane. Jane's hurt - They're taking her to Boston Gen-Frankie...no it doesn't look good. Worse. Yes worse! Dammit Frankie stop! Go pick up your mom and I'll get through to Tommy." He swallowed the lump in his throat as he remembered what Jane looked like as she was wheeled past him. "Get there quick." He disconnected the call and took a steadying breath. Leaving Korsak to clean up he headed out for the hospital. He just hoped he got there before...

"No!...stop that shit Barry, Jane is going to be fine, just fine."

* * *

><p>"She's crashing..." hands moved frantically to get Jane stabilized. Her blood pressure was practically non-existent and the respirator she was attached to was breathing for her.<p>

"Jane!"

"Ma'am please I need you to stay where you are. We're almost there."

Maura nodded mutely as Jane blood pressure leveled out at a dangerously low level. She bit her lip so hard she drew blood. She knew they couldn't give Jane anything until they could be sure of the drugs that were in her system. Thankfully, the needle had been recovered and was with them in the ambulance right now. She had her suspicions based on Jane's response to the injection and right now the only thing keeping her sane was her mind working to try to calculate the different combination of drugs that Dominique might have injected Jane with.

She couldn't help thinking that this was her fault. If only she hadn't screamed. But she knew that Jane hadn't seen the knife when Dominique pulled it out.

Still the shouted warning. "Maura Isles don't do this to yourself." Her thoughts were going a mile a minute eventually drifting back to the last time she had shouted a warning to Jane. Dominique's first attempt. Korsak and Frost both had touted her as Jane's lucky charm.

"I don't believe in that kind of luck," she whispered, "but I hope its true Jane...I hope it's true." The EMT watched her out of the corner of his eye as she talked to his patient. She wouldn't allow anyone to touch her until they got to the hospital and as he looked back at the detective lying still as death, he had to wonder again what had happened in that room.

Maura held tightly to Jane's hand, refusing to let it go. She felt irrational about it but she felt like she was keeping Jane with her, keeping her alive. Maura knew in her heart that they were connected on a deeper level than even they had considered. She was a woman of science but right now all she could think of was faith. Her faith was in Jane. Unwavering and unending. She bent over and brushed her lips across Jane's forehead as the monitor fluctuated yet again.

"Don't you give up Jane Rizzoli…don't you dare...I love you."

**So, no real resolution except that they caught that bastard Matthews, the bitch is dead and Paddy loves his daughter…have I forgotten anything? Oh yeah, Maura loves Jane. But we knew that, right? So please, comments, moans, groans, etc are welcome.**

**Shameless plug (haven't done it in a bit) Don't know if you all know, but I wrote a bit that was over 10 years in the works (procrastinator, yes) Beauty of Fear available for Kindle and paperback on Amazon by me, LE Perez. Check it out!**


	28. Chapter 28 Jane

**A/N: Written with ssa-rtune-So…wow folks, your reviews continue to amaze us. Just a quick note. I love to respond to reviews but it is impossible to do that when someone reviews as a guest. So this is for Cissie…thank you for all the great reviews and I would love to respond to your concerns but I can't. And I believe you can't do author alert unless you have an actual account.**

**Here we go….**

"I will see the plastic surgeon once I know that Detective Rizzoli is out of surgery." Maura spoke coldly to the nurse who had come in to ask her to come back to the emergency room.

"Maura sweetie..."

"No Angela." Angela watched as Maura fought to keep herself composed. "I'm fine for now, please support me on this."

Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, the nurse shook her head ruefully, "You know where we are should you change your mind."

"I doubt that very much, but thank you." Maura replied, stiffening automatically as her enunciation was clipped but impeccable. She withheld the wince that was clawing it's way to the surface that her actions caused, as her body rebelled against the movement. She was determined to not show any outward signs of weakness.

Watching the nurse leave, Angela squeezed her hand and carefully pulled Maura into her arms. Angela and Frankie had shown up, to find they were being directed to the emergency room by a frazzled Barry Frost. No one had any updated information on Jane and Maura was arguing with the attending physician working on her injuries. Some samples were taken into evidence, should it be needed, as were the remains of Maura's underwear, her clothes already collected by CSU on site, but Maura was fighting everyone in her way. It was then Maura had made them release her to accompany Angela and the others to the waiting room. Frankie was pacing the room, barely able to sit for more than a few seconds at a time, as Maura, Angela and Frost all settled down for the wait.

Maura knew the risks involved with waiting better than anyone, but she didn't care. Her wounds would heal and she would deal with the aftermath later. They had bandaged up her wrists and treated the split skin on her chest and shoulder, the abnormal amount of bleeding concerned her and them but she didn't care at the moment. Stitches, should they be needed, could wait. They had even given her some scrubs with some plain black Dansko's for her feet from somewhere that fit, and that was enough for her to leave for the waiting room. Maura kept telling herself, she hadn't signed herself out of the hospital completely, so this wasn't a standard AMA event. She was still in an environment for help should she need it. She wasn't feeling well and she hurt but she had refused to take anything, other than some aspirin, that would dull her senses.

Maura also knew she was in shock; she knew that on a conscious level it wasn't healthy for her to feel the way she did but until she could see Jane, touch her, she couldn't deal with anything else. The way everything had transpired was just surreal. Seeing Detective Matthews at the scene of the bombing and then nothing. She remembered another explosion and being grabbed before whatever she was injected with took effect.

"Maura?" Angela face was streaked with the tears she had shed. Frankie's call had told her nothing but his face when he picked her up had made her prepare for the worst. Seeing Maura had shaken her further.

"Mmm...I'm sorry Angela, did you say something?"

"No honey, nothing at all." Maura's distracted state had her concerned. She wasn't following doctor's orders which was extremely unlike her and she hadn't expressed much emotion other than anger. Try as she might, Angela was at a loss on how to help Maura. She couldn't ever remember seeing her so angry or closed off. Even when she and Jane had fought, it had never resulted in this kind of shutdown.

A little over two hours had passed since Jane and Maura had arrived at the hospital and all they knew was that Jane was alive. Cavanaugh had made an appearance to check on the family but had backed out almost immediately after facing Maura, who had snapped at him; questioning why Jane was on her own. Why there wasn't another Detective assigned to be with her; no more than that, to stay with her regardless, knowing what was happening. He knew she had only lashed out because he was a convenient target, and Maura would undoubtedly regret it later, so for now, he found out as much as he could, accepted the verbal beating, before heading back to the precinct.

Finally, Korsak appeared, and he settled down alongside Maura, who barely raised her head to look at him. He could see the bloody bandage on her chest peeking through and frowned. He carefully picked up one hand, which he held lightly.

"Thought you'd like to know, I've just finished all the paperwork booking Detective Matthews into custody and helping clear the Dominique scene."

Maura started, her head whipping around. She had completely forgotten about Matthews involvement in all of this beyond the passing thought earlier. She didn't say a word, as Korsak squeezed her hand.

"Matthews admitted when we interviewed him that he took Jane. I phoned and told the nurses here when Jane first arrived, he injected her with propofol. I don't know what drugs Dominique had though. It was all I could give them."

"He admitted it?"

Maura's voice sounded small and broken, and Korsak fought back his own emotion, "Yeah. It's all on tape. Of course, once a lawyer gets involved, he'll likely recant - you know they often do, but I've gotta tell ya Doc, your team, they pulled together a lot of evidence that he's gonna find impossible to argue on the stand, and so is his defense lawyer. I know there is no such thing as a slam dunk case, but this is as close as you're gonna get. Your team is still looking at stuff as well, so I'm reckoning they'll find a load more evidence to nail the bastard long before it goes to arraignment. You trained them well Doc, real well."

"You said propofol?"

"What?"

"Vince, you said propofol was used on Jane."

"Yeah, it's what Matthews told us anyway."

Maura sat there, Angela and Korsak both looking worried as hysterical laughter seemed to bubble up out of nowhere.

"Maura?" Angela put a hand out to Maura's forearm, looking worriedly at Korsak who merely shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"The drugs likely saved her." Maura finally managed to say, as her hand went up to her mouth to try and contain her giggling.

"What? Maura, talk to us." Angela said softly, pulling Maura into a light hug.

Maura nodded, and swallowed hard, "Obviously I don't know what Dominique injected Jane with, so there might have been some counter effects, but one of the known side effects of propofol is hypotension."

"What would having high blood pressure..." Angela began, before Maura cut her off.

"No, that's hypertension. I'm talking about hypotension, which is low blood pressure. Typically, low blood pressure is generally considered to be systolic blood pressure less than 90 millimeters of mercury or shortened to mm Hg or diastolic less than 60 mm Hg. Although these aren't always indicators. But it would explain why Jane didn't bleed out as she might, or should have done." Maura then held back a sob, "Did Matthews say where he got the drugs?"

"Nope, but Dominique would only supply to her own, and if you went outside that..."

"Oh yes, Jane mentioned..." Maura suddenly shut up, knowing that Jane had given the information of having to watch someone else die for using another person other than Dominique in confidence, "She mentioned something along those lines."

Seemingly satisfied with what Maura had said, Korsak settled back a little in his seat.

Maura suddenly found she couldn't stop smiling, as she looked at Angela and Korsak, "Don't you see? The irony?"

"Maura honey, you're not making a whole lot of sense." Angela said, allowing her worry to show fully.

Sensing the concern, Maura sobered slightly, "What I'm trying to say, and I admit rather badly, is that in a round about way, Dominique tried killing Jane, but ultimately it was her own drugs that might have saved her."

* * *

><p>"...Ultimately the combination of drugs that Jane was injected with caused her body to shut down in response to the surgical intervention."<p>

Maura stared at the doctor stunned as he explained to them what had happened.

"Are you..." her voice broke at the thought of Jane's death. Her knees buckled as she herself shut down.

"No...oh my goodness, No!" Dr. Morris grabbed Maura as she collapsed. Leading her to a chair he asked the nurse to bring her a cup of water.

He looked up at Angela Rizzoli as she cried into the arms of her son.

"God, I'm sorry. She's alive, Detective Rizzoli is alive!"

"Goddamit Doc, what the hell were you thinking?" Korsak shoved him away from Maura as he kneeled down in front of her.

"Maura...Maura look at me!" He waited until her eyes focused on him, the pain in them almost too much to bear. "Jane is alive." He spoke each word clearly to her, making sure that she understood. Gripping his hands, she nodded and looked at the mortified doctor.

"Explain."

Dr Morris explained how the drugs that Jane was injected with, first propofol then a combination of heroin and trace amounts of cocaine and a hallucinogen had ended with Jane being brought into surgery on a ventilator. She wasn't breathing on her own. That, plus the extremely low blood pressure had slowed the bleeding enough for them to repair the damage that Dominique's knife had done. Jane's spleen was irreparable and had to be removed. A nick in an artery was also repaired as was the muscle and tissue damage. It would be a very long recovery. The angle of the wound made the damage to the muscle and tissue fairly extensive.

"But...?" Maura may not always catch intent in a person's tone the way Jane usually did but she heard it nonetheless.

Dr Morris cleared his throat and considered his next words carefully. He had already made one serious mistake with Dr Isles, he did not want to make another.

"She is still not breathing on her own, so at this time she is on a ventilator and heavily sedated. We need to make sure the drugs are fully out of her system before we make any attempt to wake her. Their use has complicated our treatment plan."

"Will she wake up?" Angela asked what Maura could not.

"I'm sorry ma'am but we don't know that for certain yet. Right now, she's stable. Our primary concern now is getting her to breathe on her own and making sure she doesn't get an infection." Dr Morris looked at them as they considered his words.

"I wish I could give you better news. You will be able to see her of course once we move her into a room. She'll be in the Critical Care Unit initially so only one person is allowed to stay at a time."

"Thank you Dr Morris, and I apologize for-"

"Dr Isles, I apologize. I need to rethink my bedside manner a bit based on the reaction I received from you all. If you don't have any more questions, I really need to go back and check on her." He took his leave leaving silence in his wake.

"She's alive..." Maura sobbed into her hands as it suddenly hit her that after all the time that had passed, even given the knowledge of the propofol that was administered, she had been ready to hear that Jane was dead.

Angela pulled Maura to her feet and gathered her into her arms hugging her tightly, forgetting about Maura's own injuries.

Maura's sharp intake of breath was the only warning before she passed out in Angela's arms.

* * *

><p>"Maura? Maura honey open your eyes..." Angela bit her lower lip as concern washed over her. Frankie had taken Maura from Angela's arms and carried her to the nurse's station. At the sight of the blood on her scrubs and on Angela they had quickly gotten a gurney and wheeled her back down to the emergency room. The wounds on her chest were bleeding freely again and they had been forced to suture them in an attempt to keep them closed. She needed to see the plastic surgeon but they couldn't discuss that with her until she woke.<p>

"Jane..." her voice was just a whisper.

"No honey its Angela." She held Maura down when she tried to sit up. "Just stay there Maura, you were bleeding again."

"What?" Maura tried to focus on Angela's words but felt light headed. Something was wrong. "I shouldn't still be bleeding." She carefully pulled back the one of the bandages and frowned at the skin that was already puckering. It was still bleeding through the stitches when she pulled it back. "Dominique."

"What? She's dead Maura." Angela went into the hallway and motioned for Korsak.

"Hey Doc...how you feeling?"

"Vince..." Maura shut her eyes at the wave of dizziness that washed over her. "The whip, there was something on the whip."

"What?!" He looked at her in shock, what the hell was she saying?

Her voice was tired and worn out. "I shouldn't be bleeding still, not like this...there must have been something on the whip. Coumadin, Heparin...definitely an anticoagulant."

"Wouldn't the docs have found something?"

Maura shook her head carefully. "They wouldn't have been looking for it. If it was on the whip at all it got into my bloodstream. My wounds aren't clotting at all." She lifted her wrists and they both saw the blood starting to seep through the bandages on her wrists.

"Shit!" Korsak ran out to get a doctor and to call the precinct to get the whip checked.

Maura should have realized that nothing with Dominique would be simple. That would explain the lightheadedness she had felt since she had held Jane in her arms. She had attributed it to stress. She was wrong. They needed to treat her now. Not just for her sake but so that she could be with Jane. She felt a heaviness in her chest as she remembered how Jane had fought Dominique. How Jane had overcome what had been done to her to save her. Maura was never happy at the loss of life but if ever anyone deserved to die, it was Dominique.

The doctor came in with the nurse who was preparing to draw blood.

"Dr Isles we're going to administer a coagulant to get this bleeding stopped. Once we know for sure what is causing this we'll..."

"Administer and let me go see Detective Rizzoli." Maura was firm. She needed to see Jane. She would seek further treatment once she could see Jane for herself.

"Ma'am I don't think that's a good-"

"Treat me and let me see her or I will sign myself out."

Dr Woods sighed as he considered his patient. "Fine."

After a while, once the doctor, nurse and Angela had left her alone for a few minutes, Maura had then grabbed the information pertaining to her own treatment, and frowned at the latest bloodwork results. She had the beginnings of an almighty headache, she knew brought on by part from her earlier blood loss, that had crept up on her. While they had been working to repair some of the damage, she'd been on a saline drip, which she knew would be used to help replenish the amount of blood lost. Still, she realized, once she'd had chance to think a little on events, that the whip alone would not have put enough heparin into her system for the bleeding she'd sustained.

The lab had confirmed trace amounts of heparin on the whip. Thankfully Maura had been whipped only a couple of times. It was now obvious to Maura that whomever Dominique was whipping was expected to bleed out after repeated strikes. As Maura was pondering it all, the bloodwork results slowly made sense. Dominique would have likely prepared the drugs for Matthews to use, and hearing about the cocktail used on Jane, Maura could only conclude she'd been injected with propanol, but with the addition of heparin. Enough to start the process, only for the whip to slowly build up the amount in the bloodstream. She debated telling the doctor about her conclusions, but decided against it. The coagulant had done its job well enough, and the last thing Maura needed was more delays.

* * *

><p>As it was, it was easily another hour before they let Maura go to Jane, much to her annoyance. She'd initially rested, citing she had allowed her body recovery time, but had quickly become agitated. After threatening a third time to walk out, the doctor had then returned the threat to Maura with delaying her further if she didn't rest as required. It was that alone that had made her stay where she was. Maura knew they could easily stop her seeing Jane, and she'd have no recourse to argue otherwise, even with Angela already having given her consent to allow Maura full disclosure on Jane's treatments and visitation. She wasn't about to be consigned to the waiting room, so she swallowed her pride, much to everyone else's relief.<p>

Angela held Maura's hand as they were both escorted in to see Jane, despite the usual one person rule, they were allowing both to initially see Jane before one of them would have to leave.

She was more still than either of them had ever seen. Maura walked over hesitantly and brushed a stray strand of hair back from Jane's forehead. It hurt so much to see her like this. But she was alive, that was what mattered. Maura tried to ignore the sound of the ventilator as it breathed for the woman she loved, the woman she needed in her life. On shaky legs she let herself drop into the chair next to the bed and beckoned for Angela to come closer.

Angela looked at her only daughter with mixed emotions. She was so proud of her for all that she had done to stop Dominique and save Maura and at the same time she was so angry at her. Angry for putting herself in harm's way time and again and for putting her through this. She knew when Jane decided to join the police force that there would be times like this but there had been too many with Jane. Too many.

"Hi baby." Angela kissed her daughter on the forehead, "Momma's here baby and so is Maura. We love you okay? We need you to wake up and stop scaring us like this honey." She said the words in a rush and smiled wanly at Maura. "Do you think she can hear us?" Maura nodded mutely.

Angela tilted her head and looked at the woman before her. "You promised me you would never give up on her, that you would never let her push you away."

"What?" Maura's confusion must have shown on her face.

"Talk to her Maura. If there's anyone she'll hear, its you." She leaned down and kissed Maura on the forehead as well. She knew the woman was exhausted and beaten but she also knew who Jane would always listen to. "I'm going to go speak to Frankie. Take some time with her, okay?"

Maura watched the older woman leave and listened to the sounds in the room. The ventilator, the heart monitor, all signs that Jane was still with her.

"Jane," her voice broke and the tears that had been held in check through sheer force of will finally came down. The only person there to hear them was Jane.

**Thoughts? Comments? Let us know, please!**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: written with ssa-rtune.**

**Our apologies for the time that has lapsed since the last posting. Work has taken precedence for me this summer and it has been difficult at best with both of our schedules to touch base but we haven't forgotten you all and hope that you haven't forgotten us. **

**Here we go...**

Over three days had passed since Jane and Maura had been brought in. Maura had finally allowed the plastic surgeon to repair the damage done by the whip once it was assured that the heparin and other drugs were completely out of her system.

Now, sitting with Jane, Maura went over everything that Korsak had just briefed her on. Her father, Paddy Doyle had declared war on Dominique's father, demanding satisfaction for what had been done to her. Korsak had told her what he had done to insure that Jane wouldn't have to look over her shoulder but she was concerned about the outcome of this war. Dominique's father had as long reach as Paddy. Korsak was doing all he could to keep the peace and keep her and Jane out of it, but the city was feeling the impact of Dominique's death. It was gang warfare at it's very worst, and some parts of Boston were already becoming off limits for some. They were all hoping it would settle down soon, because the press were also beginning to ask some questions, or questioning the police departments ability to keep crime down.

It was going to be a little time yet before they really knew the full implications to them and what had happened. Frankly, Maura couldn't care less over how Doyle and Dominique's father fought it out - as long as she, and more importantly, Jane were finally out of it. She didn't voice that to Korsak though, and just allowed him to concentrate on what he felt was best. Nor did she have any desire to contact Paddy Doyle. Her need to stay at the hospital was overriding everything else.

As another day began, Angela had not long left. She wasn't able to take off another day thanks to Stanley so it was just Maura. The doctors had noted that Jane was initiating breathing on her own and they had reduced the sedation. It was up to her now when she would wake and once she did they would be able to assess her for extubation.

Maura stroked Jane's arm as she had for three days now. Waiting, praying for her to wake. The logical side of her knew that Jane's body was trying to repair itself which is why it had taken this long, but her heart wanted answers now. She wanted to see Jane's dark eyes looking into hers. Her heart felt lonely and it was a feeling she would never have recognized before Jane.

-  
>It was the shrill sound the heart monitor made that jolted Maura awake and alerted her to the fact that Jane was awake. Her eyes were wide open and panicked.<p>

"Jane relax...you need to relax...No!" Maura grabbed Jane's hand as she reached up to pull at the tube down her throat. "Please, don't do that." Maura had alerted the nurse's station that there was a problem and she hoped they got there soon as Jane still fought to pull out the tube.

Fear was overriding everything. She had to get out, she had to save Maura. But she had gotten to Maura...No!...Dominique had Maura. Jane could hear Maura but all she heard were her cries for help. She could hear Dominique's taunting voice clearly in her head, so she fought, she couldn't let her win.

Maura was struggling desperately with her when the nurse came in. "What's wrong with her?

She's awake!" Maura's voice was frantic and inwardly, she cursed the nurse for asking what seemed a fairly obvious situation. Right now Jane was still fighting her, caught in the throes of some delusion, but she was at risk of injuring herself further by doing so.

The nurse quickly increased the flow of Jane's pain medication. Maura watched as Jane stopped fighting and fell into a drug induced sleep.

She was still holding Jane when the nurse laid a hand on her shoulder. "You can let her go now."

Maura shook her head, "She didn't know who I was." She was taken aback by Jane's reaction to waking and wondered about the drugs that Dominique had given her. They seemed to still be affecting her. Or, was it just that Jane had some kind of PTSD event? Maura simply had no idea what to think.

"I've paged the doctor. The amount I gave her should keep her out for just a little while. We might need to restrain her-"

"Absolutely not!" Maura glared at her. "After all she has been through I will not allow her to be restrained."

"But Dr. Isles-"

"No." Nurse Jenkins was no idiot. She heard the finality in her voice, but she would have to take it up with the doctor.

"Yes ma'am" She noted her patient's vitals and checked her wound before leaving, but not before she'd made a note on Jane's chart that her dressing would need to be changed again, but further evaluation for injury would have to be made once Jane was conscious.

Maura ran a hand across Jane's forehead and kissed her before whispering in her ear. "Jane you're safe honey. I'm safe. I need you to be okay, please." She took a deep breath and wiped away the tear that rolled down Jane's face. She was sure that Jane heard her, but she still was trapped in that room with Dominique. "Oh Jane..."

-  
>Jane opened her eyes and blinked against the harsh light. The noises she heard were familiar but not comforting. She had failed Maura. It's all she could remember. Maura was gone and so was she. She was incomplete without her. She felt the unbidden tears rolling down the sides of her face but she didn't care, she was alone, again. Dominique had won.<p>

Maura frowned at the skipping sound of the EKG. Looking down at Jane she saw the wetness around her eyes and wondered what Jane was dreaming about. The wailing of the heart monitor was as unexpected as the sight of the nurses running in.

"Jane!" Maura was pushed roughly to the side as they immediately began to work on her. Her heart had just stopped beating. The doctor ran in and called out commands brusquely.

"Jane please!"

Maura's voice called to her but it was wrong, she was gone. She didn't want to be here without her.

"Ma'am you need to-"

"NO! I'm not leaving...JANE!"

She heard her again...Maura?

'Beep...Blip...Beep...'

"We have sinus rhythm...pulse rate is going up doctor." He nodded at the nurse and left them to finish stabilizing Jane before turning to Maura.

"What the hell happened?" He crossed his hands across his chest, unsure what to say, and needing to know if anything was noted by Maura.

"I think she was waking up but..." Maura looked as puzzled as the doctor felt.

"Doctor" Nurse Jenkins interrupted them when her patient's eyes fluttered open.

"Ms. Rizzoli?" The doctor made eye contact with her before pulling out his penlight. Flashing her in one eye and then the other, he put it away, satisfied. "Ms. Rizzoli, do you know where you are?"

Jane heard him and blinked, but her eyes were searching the room wildly. Realizing Jane was looking for someone, the doctor waved Maura over so that Jane could see her and he watched as his patient visibly relaxed. She had given them quite a scare, and he still wasn't sure she was fully out of the woods until that moment.

Jane focused on Maura. She was real. She wasn't gone. It was just a dream, another nightmare. Once again tears fell from her eyes as she took in Maura's scared appearance, this time tears of relief.

Matching tears fell from Maura's eyes as she looked into Jane's. She had thought... Shaking her head to dislodge that train of speculation, Maura took in a deep breath. She knew Jane wouldn't leave her like that, not after everything.

"Jane?" The almost imperceptible nod let Maura know that Jane was indeed aware of her.

"Ms Rizzoli," the doctor glanced at the ventilator and smiled, satisfied with what he saw. "We need you to just keep doing what you're doing right now. Try to stay awake if you can and I'll be back shortly." Tapping Maura on the shoulder she followed him to the corner of the room, where he could talk to her privately.

"Keep her awake the best you can. If she can stay awake for the next thirty minutes or so and continues to initiate breathing, then we'll extubate."

"Why did she..." Maura couldn't finish. The logical side of her brain couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Jane's heart had stopped.

"I don't know to be honest. She was stable for all intents and purposes but we will definitely try to find out." Reaching a hand out he squeezed Maura's shoulder reassuringly. "She's on the mend, be grateful. We won't know the extent of any other impairment until we can speak with her."

"Because of the drugs." Maura's tone was flat, her thoughts going to Dominique and what she did to Jane.

"Exactly. Sit with her, talk to her. I'll have the nurse check in every five minutes or so, but they won't do more than look in unless you signal otherwise. Since you're a qualified doctor, I'll allow a little more leeway than we would normally give patients at this stage. I think you being here uninterrupted is going to outweigh the nurse coming right in to monitor her. Whatever happened, it's obvious your presence calmed her down more than any sedative and I'd like to try and keep it that way. She's already had enough drugs in her system, so if we can avoid adding to them, it has to be a better approach."

"Thank you Doctor." Maura watched him leave and took a deep cleansing breath to compose herself before turning around. Jane was staring at her. The tears were gone but the questions were there, shining through.

Pulling the chair in the room closer to the bed she sat and took Jane's hand, stroking the scar on the back of it before looking up.

"Hey you..." Maura's whisper caught in her throat.

Jane squeezed her hand. She couldn't say anything because of the tube down her throat but she she tried to tell Maura everything she was feeling in that moment with the squeeze of her hand.

Relief and gratitude that Maura was alive, and not dead like her dreams had told her, flooded her. She felt overwhelmed at the sight of her and wanted so much to say so.

"I'm okay you know. I really need you to know that Jane. I'm safe. You saved me and I had to..." '...watch." Maura swallowed the bile that rose up as she again saw Jane fighting to get to her. The odds she overcame seemed insurmountable but somehow she had beaten Dominique. The idea that she had almost lost Jane because of that monster hurt her soul, her spirit. She would've killed the woman herself if she had been given a chance.

Jane's eyes started to close and Maura changed the subject quickly, not wanting to lose herself or Jane in that room any longer. For thirty five minutes she spoke incessantly. About work, about Bass, about a journal article she had been reading the previous day. Anything to keep Jane awake. She had to gently slap her cheek twice when she started dozing again and was met with a glare from Jane each time. By the time the doctor finally came in Jane was more than ready to be extubated.

Dr. Morris smiled down at his patient and explained what he was about to do. Once he was sure his patient was ready, he nodded to the nurse while Maura waited anxiously at the foot of the bed.

"Alright Ms. Rizzoli, I need you to take a breath and breathe out as forcefully as you can."  
>Jane took a breath and cried as she felt the tube rip her throat. Gagging she couldn't take a breath in or out.<p>

"Jane I know it hurts, honey open your eyes."

Maura's urgent tone made her open the eyes she had squeezed shut against the pain.

"Cough Ms. Rizzoli, go ahead."

Gagging again Jane coughed into the napkin the nurse held, eyes wide at the sight of the blood there.

"It's alright Ms. Rizzoli, that's natural. Your throat will heal." Dr. Morris nodded to Nurse Jenkins who held a wet sponge to Jane's mouth for her to suck on. It would be at least another thirty minutes before she could be allowed to drink something.

Maura watched Jane being tended to and saw the look she gave the doctor every time he called her Ms. She couldn't hide the grin that was on her face.

"Ms. Rizzoli-"

"Detective." Jane's voice was barely loud enough to be heard, but Maura heard it.

"I'm sorry? Ms. Rizzoli, please don't try to speak right now."

Jane grabbed his hand and glared at him. "Detective," she whispered. Dr. Morris looked at his patient, dumbstruck.

"Dr Morris, she's Detective Rizzoli, not Ms. I think she would prefer that you call her either that or Jane." Maura couldn't stand by and watch him flounder any longer, and she also needed to stop Jane from trying to talk.

"Oh...well," Uncomfortable he looked from Maura to his patient before giving in. "Detective Rizzoli, you need to rest. Try to breathe easy and try not to speak for a little bit, at least until we can give you some ice chips for that throat."

She nodded and pointed at the bloody napkin the nurse held, a question in her eyes.

"Ah yes, don't worry, that will pass. It may last for a day or so, but your throat should be good as new soon."

Jane's sleepy nod was his only response so he turned his attention to Maura.  
>"She's going to be a bit lethargic from the sedatives for a while longer but once she's more awake we'll try to find out what happened earlier."<p>

Maura nodded tightly, "Thank you Dr. Morris."

She watched as he left and waited until Nurse Jenkins finished cleaning up and getting Jane settled again before approaching the bed.

Looking down at her she couldn't believe the overwhelming feeling of relief she had at just seeing Jane breathing on her own again. Stroking her forehead she watched Jane's eyes flutter. "It's okay Jane, I'll still be here."  
>Permission given, Jane let herself drift back to sleep.<p>

**short and to the point...they have a bit of a road ahead and Dominique isn't done causing trouble for our girls yet. Thoughts?**


	30. Chapter 30 Eeny, Meeny, Dirty Cop

**A/N:Wow…It's been almost a year since this story was updated and for that both ****ssa-rtune and I both apologize. She has had some medical issues to deal with and given that I'm in Florida and she's in Great Britain…hooking up to write with my work schedule has been difficult at best. For those who are still reading, thank you for hanging in there. For those just discovering this story, read it from the beginning, it's a heck of a roller coaster ride. Both my writing partner and I expect to continue to update this regularly from here out. Thank you again, your humble bards.**

**Written with SSA-Rtune**

"Detective Rizzoli I only have a few more questions." Detective Sanchez from IAB tapped his pen against his leg impatiently as he tried to elicit more information from Jane. He had finally gotten permission from her doctor to speak with the elusive brunette, as well as fighting everyone on her team who had done their level best to keep him away from her.

Jane grimaced as she adjusted herself on the bed. They had been at this for over an hour and she was getting damned tired of answering the same questions over and over. She could see through the questions and knew that they were trying to make this personal. A case of her going rogue based on her past with Dominique and her present with Maura. She refused to give them anything.

"Look," she said hoarsely, "I've told you everything I remember. Plus, you have the reports from the others and my doctors, telling you about the cocktail of drugs I was given plus my injuries. What the hell do you want me to say?" She was so done with this. It was past time for her meds and the nightmares she had been having the past few nights were robbing her of the ability to think straight anymore. She wanted to see Maura who she knew was just a few feet away waiting to come in. "_No," she told herself, "she _needed _to see her."_

Sanchez looked down at his notes. He had quite a bit but there were still a lot of questions left unanswered. He also knew the doctors had told him they would restrict him further if he tried to push too much, and that he was skirting the line, "We'll take a break for now Detective, but I'll be back."

"Is that a threat or a promise," she muttered under her breath.

"Your call Detective, your call."

She sank further into the bed as the door closed on him not sure if what she was feeling was relief or exhaustion.

The light knock on the door made her smile, it was one of the very few things that did right now.

"Jane?" Maura walked in wearing clothes that were much too casual for work.

"Hey..." she smiled as Maura kissed her. "I thought you were going to work?"

"I checked in, but I needed to be here." She could sense how tense Jane was after her meeting. "How did it.."

"It didn't," Jane practically growled as she cut the question off.

"Oh," Maura turned on her heel, "I'll be right back."

Jane could only watch in confusion as Maura strode back out of the room, taking her cellphone out of her pocket as she went. "What the hell just happened?" Jane asked herself, trying to make sense of the last couple of hours.

Maura walked back into the room minutes later, before she smiled lightly at Jane, leaning in for another quick kiss, "Vince will be here within the hour."

"What? Why?"

Maura settled down on the chair next to Jane's bed, and began to fidget with Jane's bedding, before looking up to answer her, "I just don't think we know the full story here Jane. I was being asked questions that didn't seem at all relevant to what happened."

Jane sat up as straight as her battered body would allow, "What!" This time it was definitely a growl that followed her exclamation.

"I think we don't have enough facts Jane, something isn't right."

"Is this your intestines talking?" Jane tried to lighten the mood, even though she felt they were facing something far more serious, but she couldn't figure out what.

"You know my intestines can't talk, but - yes, I feel uneasy and I feel it would be prudent to get Vince here so we can find out what he knows, since he was there and cleared the crime scene. I've been strictly told I am not dealing in any way with the forensic evidence since I was a victim, and most certainly not to be involved in any way with the autopsy report. I am in effect only allowed to do some paperwork on other cases of mine, but I'm not being allowed any new cases either. Someone is blocking my, albeit very limited, return to work."

"Huh," Jane settled back in the bed, trying to get her thoughts into place, "Did we hear from a certain sperm donor?"

"He…" Maura faltered slightly, as she remembered the rage he had displayed on hearing that Maura's injuries had also been complicated ever so slightly by the addition of heparin on the whip. Maura had been entering the hospital, intent on visiting Jane once she was awake, only to be pulled unceremoniously into a supply cupboard by Doyle. It had taken all her self control not to scream the house down out of sheer fright before she realised who had grabbed her. "He's still intending to fight it out with Dominique's father here."

"Jesus…" Jane thought about the implications of a full scale war on her precious city. "He can't Maura. He can't let it escalate." Her agitation reflected itself on the monitors she was attached to.

"Jane please, we have no control over him, you know that, but I will talk to him again." She said the last bit with a look of disdain.

"I know he's angry. I know that better than anyone, but we need to make him understand. I'm sorry."

"Jane Rizzoli you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for." Maura wound herself up to continue but Jane stopped her.

"Dominique only went after you because of me. She only knew about you because of me. My past, my mistakes, my arrogance." She paused, "If your _dad_ wants to pick a fight, it should probably be with me." She let the disdain she felt about Doyle being related to Maura show.

"That Detective, is something I won't be doing."

Maura shot up from her chair, as Jane's monitors began to sound, and Maura quickly moved around to that side of the bed to hit a few buttons on them, silencing them.

"It'll stop the nurses from investigating," Maura explained "I think you're more than well enough to be off them for this small period of time, and I will put them back on, after..." Maura whirled around to the man who had walked in, smacking him as hard as she could on his chest. "What are you doing here!" Maura allowed all the anger she felt show.

"Korsak told me you called. I have some information that might be relevant." Doyle stood quietly, allowing Maura to vent in her own way, before looking across at Jane.

"Oh this should be good." Jane muttered as Doyle moved further into the room.

"I don't have all the facts, but it would appear that IAB wants a scapegoat, and you are the one they are looking at detective."

"I think we got that much for ourselves." Jane replied sarcastically, "I don't want you to continue tearing my city up! For gods sake Doyle, it's only putting more light on the whole Dominique situation."

"I don't think that's the problem Jane. Well it might be, but only a small part of what is going on."

Jane and Maura both looked shocked at Korsak's words, who merely nodded at Doyle as he closed the door behind him.

"Well, please enlighten us." Jane said.

"All I know is the minute I got back to the station after I visited here the other day, and began logging in all the information for the death of Dominique, I was shut down so hard and fast, my teeth as still rattling. IAB swooped in, took everything."

"Everything?" Maura asked slowly.

"Yeah. Took everything from your lab as well Doc. I tried to get them to stop, even Cavanaugh tried to get them stopped, but they had enough clout to steamroller him. I shouldn't even be telling you any of this, but... Word is there is another dirty cop, and so they are keeping it wrapped tighter than a duck's ass." Korsak looked across, "Sorry for the language."

Maura waved him off, as she looked back to Jane, trying to figure out the new information.

"Another dirty cop?" Jane could hardly say the words, they literally made her feel sick. "You're kidding, right?"

Korsak shook his head, "I wish I was Jane, I really do. Cavanaugh got the info, and he says it's pretty solid."

"You, what do you know? Don't tell me you don't have someone on your payroll who can find out for us." Jane demanded as she pointed to Doyle.

"I won't admit to anything, least of all if anyone is indeed on my payroll, but what I will say is right now I have nothing to add." Doyle sounded and looked frustrated at the admission.

"So what we have is a whole lotta nothin'." Jane said, "No one has any more idea than 10 minutes ago."

"We know it's looking like another dirty cop, and likely linked to Dominique." Korsak sounded apologetic, seeing how wound up Jane was getting. "And that we've been totally shut out of the investigation."

"Matthews, has he said anything since he got locked up? Put some pressure on him to give us whatever information he has. He could use that to make a deal with the DA, right?" Jane then asked.

"Nah, as we suspected, the minute his lawyer showed, he recanted his confession, and now he's not saying a word." Korsak admitted. "I'm not even sure the DA would work out any deal at the moment anyway. They feel it would make them look weak to allow one, possibly two dirty cops out of their grasp."

"Christ." Jane ran a hand carefully down her face, still hurting on just about every point on her body. Her hand was taken gently by Maura, who had moved to perch on the edge of Jane's bed.

"So unless they find this dirty cop, I'm the scapegoat." Jane said quietly.

"Unless…" Korsak's words died off.

"What? Vince, what is it?" Maura didn't need to be an expert at reading facial expressions to see how nervous Korsak had suddenly become.

"Nah, it's.." Korsak reached out to the chair nearest to him, before he sat down heavily, "I just realized, we don't have any evidence. None. Susie was telling me she has nothing, not even the evidence we collected from the events before all this. They stripped it all out, and she's locked out as much as we are, and that ain't usual, even in cases like this. For the sake of evidence continuity. The less who handle it, the better: We usually get allowed to continue working at least on forensics already in the system, you know that Doc."

"What difference does that make?" Doyle asked, seeing recognition flit across everyone's faces.

"It means they think someone attached to that particular investigation is dirty, so that's why they lock it down so tight, not just someone within the precinct." Jane piped up, "And that means they think it's me."

"No!" Maura sounded horrified, "How can they…" One look at Korsak and she saw he had come to the same conclusion, "No, they might want to make you a scapegoat, and try to get you reprimanded in some way, but that's a lot different to saying you're a dirty cop."

"Is it Maura?" Jane asked softly, "C'mon, if they want to get me, what better way than making me dirty, even if it allows a possible dirty cop a free pass? It'll make the department look good, just at a time when they are getting blasted in the press." Jane shot a meaningful look Doyle's way, and he had the grace to look as abashed as he likely ever did.

"You have to stop this." Maura hopped down off the edge of the bed, and walked right up to Doyle, forcing him to look right at her. "This is damaging not just the city, but is destroying the woman I love in the process."

Korsak shot a look at Jane, who in turn was watching Maura, unable to keep a slight grin off her face, as Doyle merely looked down at Maura, his expression unreadable.

"He…" Doyle began.

Maura poked a finger firmly into Doyle's chest, cutting his words off, "Don't you dare say this is a matter of pride! Don't you dare say his daughter insulted you. Don't you dare…"

"His daughter whipped my girl." Doyle yelled, and suddenly dropped his voice, not wanting to draw attention to the room, "She took my baby girl and whipped her. Took the woman my girl loves, made her watch you being whipped and tried to torture her, and then kill her. So I have every right."

Maura was slightly dumbfounded at the words, before she collected herself again, "That's as may be, but violence is for those who are too stupid or unwilling to find an equitable solution that benefits all parties. It most certainly doesn't give you the right to fight back with yet more violence."

"It certainly does! And what's more its all that lot knows or understands!" Doyle paced the room as he considered his daughter's words. He understood what she was asking but she didn't understand what this would cost him in the long run. "I can't and I won't promise anything except this, I will use whatever means I have to help you figure out who is fingering you." He focused his gaze on Jane who gave him a nod of understanding.

"It's a start." Jane said as she looked at Korsak, "What about you? Any cages you can rattle without turning the spotlight on you."

"Yeah, now I know what we're sorta facing, I can shake up a few, see what falls out."

"What about Barry?" Maura suddenly asked.

"He's already doing some lookin'. Said I wouldn't understand, and he's right, it's all his computer mumbo jumbo." Korsak said, getting back up from the chair, before walking over to Jane, giving her one hand a gentle squeeze, "We'll get this sorted Jane, don't worry. If there is another dirty cop, we'll find him."

"Yeah but will we find this person before they make me the sacrificial lamb? Is there _even_ another dirty cop, or is someone looking for revenge from Dominique's organisation and still has enough clout to make it look bad for me?" Jane groaned as she lay back against the bed. She hurt and right now all she wanted was for everyone to leave. Everyone except Maura. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to fight the angry tears threatening to fall. This was all so much bullshit and thinking that Dominique would win after all…

"Jane…" She felt the edge of the bed drop as Maura sat on it.

"Hey, uh... we'll leave you two to talk." Korsak said, pulling Doyle with him. "Jane I'll let you know what I find out okay?"

"Thanks Vince." Opening her eyes she looked right into Maura's. "I'm okay Maur."

"No you're not." She kissed her lightly on the lips. " We are not going to let them do this to you, to us." Maura's fervent tone brought a slight smile to Jane's face even as she finally allowed the tears to fall.

"I love you Maura, but I'm starting to think Dominique may actually win this one."

**Reviews are love and fuel for a writer, especially when there are two. Let us know what you think and again, our sincerest apologies.**


	31. Chapter 31 Hack away

**A/N: We're baaaack….here you go Luckdog ;)**

**written with SSA-rtune**

The woman on the screen continued to spew dates and places implicating Detective Rizzoli in a number of unresolved cases where evidence had gone missing or had become tainted. Shaking his head Detective Sanchez continued to jot some notes down for his second interview with her.

A knock on the door made him hit pause. "Come." He scrambled to shut his laptop when Korsak walked in.

Vince bit his lip to keep from saying anything but seeing Dominique's face staring at him from the laptop clinched it for him. Jane was being set up from the grave and he didn't have a clue how to fight it.

"We need to talk Sanchez."

"It's Detective Sanchez, Sargeant. If this is about Rizzoli, you know I can't discuss this with you. I told your Lieutenant the same thing."

Vince didn't wait for an invitation and took a seat next to him. "Look, we both know this is a witch hunt and as it stands it looks to me like the brass is willing to sacrifice an officer who has on more than one occasion almost given her life for this job. She-"

Sanchez raised his hand, "Let me stop you right there. I am not interested in sacrificing anyone. I will do my job the best way I know how and the evidence I have...well let's just say it doesn't bode well for her right now. We have evidence Korsak."

Vince slapped his hand on the table. "Don't give me that bullshit Sanchez. You and I both know evidence can be falsified."

Leaning back Sanchez regarding the older man. He understood where he was coming from but the evidence was mounting rapidly and unless something else turned up he knew Rizzoli was likely to be charged, although he wasn't going to be the one making the final decision. He got up and moved toward the table by the door. Reaching underneath it he flipped a switch and sat back down.

"Let's speak frankly Vince. Rizzoli is in deep shit right now. I've worked with you all before, you know I'm a straight shooter but it doesn't just look bad, it is bad."

The surprise on Korsak's face would have been funny if the situation wasn't so serious. He knew exactly what Sanchez had just shut off and it pissed him off to know that IAB had more than one way to eavesdrop on them. With a furtive glance at the table he squared off with him.

"I need to know what you have. I need to help one of the best officers this department has ever had. I need to help my friend Rob." Vince's use of Sanchez' first name struck a nerve. Like so many others on the force, Vince Korsak had been a large part of his initial training as a detective. Sanchez owed him.

"Damn it man you know how to lay on the guilt don't you?" He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. He couldn't allow Korsak to be privy to the information he had. At the same, something about this whole thing smelled. He couldn't put his finger on just what but he wanted some time to try without compromising himself.

Korsak's eyes narrowed, "You not going to give me anything are ya?"

Sanchez shook his head, "I can't. Shit Vince, if I could I would, but I just can't with this. If Rizzoli is innocent, then the evidence…"

"Don't give me that bullshit. I don't know what supposed evidence you have, but there isn't any. Rizzoli might skirt the line sometimes, especially early on in her career. Damn it you know it cost her, so she's learned a lot from that, and I don't know any detective who didn't make mistakes, especially early on. And you can't tell me there is any evidence. Whatever you think you've got, it's planted. Shit, she shot herself because of a dirty cop. She's had the misfortune to meet more dirty cops in her time here than any one of us, even those of you in IAB. Nearly cost the life of her brother, and nearly cost her own life because of a damn dirty cop." Korsak shook his head sadly, "Do what you gotta do, but you try and take her down and you'll find a wall of blue in your way."

Korsak didn't give Sanchez a chance to reply, as he stormed out of the room, happily slamming the door behind him. He steadied himself as he waited for the elevator to arrive, never as grateful as he was at this moment that IAB was situated in a completely different building to the main BPD.

Frost looked up as Korsak walked in, and then sat down on the chair alongside his desk, "I take it didn't go well?"

"Nah. Look he was looking at something on a laptop when I first arrived. Tried to shut it down, but he wasn't fast enough, and I saw Dominique on the screen." Korsak rubbed a hand down his face, suddenly feeling tiredness catching up with him. They had been working nonstop for far too long, between the initial bombings, to Dominique's capture of Jane.

Frost sighed, "He could have just been looking at the overall case files. C'mon you know that's the most likely explanation. If they are looking at Jane being dirty, it'll be Dominique's presence, so they are gonna look at every single file, video, audio - you name it, they'll be looking."

"I know, god damn this clusterfuck."

"Vince, go home." Frost said quietly.

"If I go, you have to as well." Korsak stood up, challenging the younger man, who subtly looked away, "Okay then, we need to find something and find it fast. Feel up to doing some snooping using those computer skills of yours?"

"Depends?" Frost drew the sound out, looking suspiciously at Korsak, who in turn was looking around them carefully.

"Dominique was a computer whiz."

Frost nodded, "Yeah she was, why?"

"What if she left something about Jane? Something electronic and IAB have it. Can you find out?"

"Jesus, I don't know Vince. What you're asking…"

"I'm asking can you do it?" Korsak's voice was tight, as he carried on glancing around to make sure they weren't overheard.

"Yeah I should be able to. How easily is going to depend on whether IAB use our servers or have them independently of ours. I sure as hell ain't doing it here either."

"Okay, where?" Korsak asked.

"Home. I've got enough there to at least try and see if they are on the main servers. If not, that's gonna be a little harder, and I might need to access some outside help." Frost replied carefully.

"Do you trust them?" Korsak looked worried.

"Totally. Look, a lot of time people want to get into systems like this just to say they could. For them it's not about throwing viruses or trojans into systems, but about beating the establishment. You can't get more of an establishment than the BPD."

"That's crazy, but hey, if you say they'll do it and can be trusted, we'll look at taking them onboard. But for now, I just want you involved. Do you wanna leave now?"

Frost began to shut down his computer, put some files away, and standing up, grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, which he then shrugged on. "Let's go old man."

"Less of the old." Korsak took a deep breath as they walked through the doors, and seeing Cavanaugh, stopped.

"Going somewhere?" Sean asked.

"Home." Korsak replied, "Look, we're both dead on our feet. I know we've got stuff that needs finishing, but we need the break."

"Go," Cavanaugh agreed, "I'll see you in?"

"Six or eight hours, maybe." Korsak said.

"Okay."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane looked down at her hands. The scars from Hoyt were slowly fading, but there were times when they hurt almost as much as they had at the moment he had pushed the scalpels through. She slowly unfurled them from the fist she'd held them in, allowing the pain to flow through her, not fighting it. She'd learned long time ago that if she allowed the pain, accepted it, while it hurt, it then did begin to ease. She had learned to own pain as part of her, only now it wasn't easy to accept that part. She was hurting more than physically, and she hated it.

She slowly let out a breath as Maura's hand came to rest on hers, bringing them to her lips, kissing them gently. "We'll figure it out."

Jane nodded, "I know, it's just I'm so damned tired of fighting everything. Why does it always seem to gravitate towards either of us?"

"While it does seem as if we have to battle more than would be considered usual, many officers or employees within law enforcement face similar problems. From being on patrol to sitting at a desk, we all take a risk simply because of the sort of people we generally deal with."

Jane shook her head, "C'mon Maura, not everyone deals with serial killers. Hell, most won't even go beyond having to read it about it let alone becoming the obsession of one."

"Serial murder is neither a new phenomenon, nor is it uniquely American. Dating back to ancient times, serial murderers have been chronicled around the world. Jack the Ripper is a good example. And you know that serial murder is a relatively rare event, estimated to comprise less than one percent of all murders committed in any given year."

"Yeah, less than one percent, and I end up in his sights." Jane sat up a little more, trying to get comfortable. "I'm just…"

"Frustrated you can't do anything." Maura supplied, as she continued to run a thumb lightly across the knuckles of one of Jane's hands.

"Yeah. I can't understand why IAB are going after me though."

"We don't know that for sure."

"Oh we might not until Vince tells us what he's found out, but they are gunning for me Maura. And I am damned if I'm going to go down for something I haven't done. It's one thing to admit the mistakes I did make at the time when I first went under with Dominique, but I was cleared at the time. I made mistakes with Hoyt as well, but I damn well paid for that moment of stupidity."

"Jane, listen to me," Maura clasped Jane's hand slightly tighter, still aware of the injuries, "You made mistakes yes. We all do, and sometimes we look back and regret them, but Vince admitted to me a lot of the reason you went through what you did at the time with Hoyt was because not enough people believed in you after you came back from being undercover. That is not your fault Jane. It was because those in charge didn't do enough to make people know the full facts, or it was their own prejudice. Besides, I refuse to look at Hoyt as being so bad. Think of it this way; But for his obsession and training an apprentice, we might not have become such good friends. It brought us together in a way mere work hadn't up until that point. The moment you knocked on my door, needing to stay, changed our friendship forever."

Jane smirked, "Nah, we would have gotten friendly like we did somehow. If not Hoyt, it would have happened somehow. You can't tell me we weren't meant to be?"

"I suppose so. Fate or just pure happenstance, I'm just happy we did find each other."

Jane nodded as she brought her hand up, mirroring Maura's earlier action as she kissed the fingertips softly. "Happenstance... Does anyone other than you even use that word?"

Maura laughed, hearing the teasing tone, and she smirked as she replied, "Yep."

Jane laughed out loud, and for a few minutes at least, she felt fully relaxed and at peace.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Frost ignored Korsak's order and decided to follow up on what information he could find right away. After making a couple of calls, he met one of his contacts and told them what he was looking for.

"Dude, you want me to hack you?" Caymen Sharp was a longtime hacker and a friend. He knew Frost was serious but…

"Not us necesarily, IAB. They're on a different server and I have zero access. I'm positive the files I'm looking for are in there."

Caymen scratched at the fuzz on his chin. "Okay, let's say we get in. What am I looking for?"

"Anything that is related to Jane Rizzoli. Anything. Once we have access to that, I need your help in figuring out what is real and what's doctored."

Caymen had never seen his friend this way and he hated to play devil's advocate but, "uh...dude, what if nothing is doctored? What if the files we find are the real deal?"

Frost shook his head, "that's not gonna…"

"Dude, what if?"

"Then my relationship, professional and personal, has been a lie from the beginning." Frost refused to believe it. He knew they would find something, they had to. 'Please God'

"All right then Frosty. You know the deal. Two Monsters, a dozen donuts and…"

"I know, a large french vanilla, extra cream and extra sugar." Frost shuddered, "How can you drink that stuff?"

"Go lackey! I'm working." Caymen sat down and flexed his fingers before hitting the keyboard. Frost had given him what access he could without drawing any attention, now it was up to him.

**I love introducing new characters ;) Anyway, we hope to be posting again very soon. Health issues with SSA-rtune have been a bit prohibitive but we are working on it. Thank you all for hanging in there. Your humble Bard.**

**Now what are you waiting for, Review!**


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